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Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey expressed the importance of the upcoming Test matches ahead of the final Test against South Africa, with plenty of important ICC World Test Championship points at stake.
The Aussies head into the fixture sitting on top of the World Test Championship standings and with the number one ranking in Test cricket, but will lose both mantles if they succumb to a defeat against the Proteas in the series-deciding Test at Newlands. Another poor showing with the bat, including a 99 all out in the first innings and skipper Temba Bavuma's resilient 179, were the highlights as Proteas made a comeback at Gqeberha with an innings win. But rather than dwell on what the consequences would look like should Australia fall to South Africa in the third Test, Carey has instead decided to focus on the positives and concentrate on ensuring the team gets their preparation right so the result in Cape Town takes care of itself. "As a group, we really believe in what we can achieve," Carey told reporters in Cape Town, as quoted by ICC. "If that is after this Test we are ranked number one, or we are not. I think we know what we are capable of when we certainly get it right." "So we would not look too far ahead. And I know it is probably a little bit clich, but we have got to get our preparation right going into this Test match, and then hopefully things can take care of themselves there and not look at the end result," he continued. If the Aussies can taste success in the third Test, then it will boost their chances of earning a place at next year's World Test Championship Final, with the side scheduled to take on New Zealand in four Tests later this year before a five-match series in India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in January and February of 2027. With so much to play for in the coming months, Carey suggested the result in every Test will be crucial for his side with the stakes raised under the World Test Championship cycle. "I think most Test matches feel like finals," Carey admitted. "You do not take any for granted, and you want to win every single one of them, as you know the significance of them. "You know the point system around the World Test Championship. So, as a playing group, I think it is really important for us to understand the process of every game that we go into and try to nail that. And this one, again, is no different," he signed off. (ANI)
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