Alex Carey sports fresh haircut following Leeds saga… and Australia team-mate Steve Smith jokes wicket-keeper paid for his cut
Alex Carey shows off his new haircut after insisting it’s ‘not so tight’ following the barber shop story published in Headingley.
A Leeds barber accused Carey of failing to pay £30 for a haircut at his shop before the third Ashes Test earlier this month, only for it to emerge later that the 31-year-old had been mistaken for a teammate.
England legend Sir Alastair Cook repeated the claim on BBC Radio 5 Live, which was strongly denied by Cricket Australia.
Cook later apologized for his role in the confusion, and Kerry has now spoken out for the first time since becoming embroiled in the row.
“He hasn’t had a haircut since coming to Chelsea,” he said via ESPN Cricinfo.
Alex Carey shows off his new haircut following the saga that unfolded in Leeds
Australia star Steve Smith joked that his teammate paid for a haircut
Alex Carey has broken his silence on the revelations about the haircut at Headingley
A Leeds barber has accused the wicketkeeper of failing to pay for a £30 haircut
‘It’s definitely due for a cut. But, no, I’m not that tight. I’ve been told I’m pretty tight.
‘He [Alastair Cook] It’s good to hear from him that he has come forward and apologised.’
But now Kerry arrives at Old Trafford for the fourth Ashes Test in a new form, and team-mate Steve Smith was the first to tease the wicketkeeper.
‘I can confirm that Alex Carey has now had a haircut and paid for it,’ he posted on Twitter alongside a selfie with his team-mate.
Carey believes experience from around the world and getting more used to Australia’s bowlers is behind his remarkable improvement as a Test wicketkeeper.
Kerry is on course to break the record for most dismissals in a Test series with 20 out of 22 chances in the Ashes.
Last week’s data showed Kerry’s influence in the series, with the Australian losing 20 wickets in the three Tests while missing dismissal opportunities cost his side just 50 runs.
In contrast, England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow cost England 191 runs with his eight misses, while conceding 46 byes.
Carey’s career has come full circle in this series after enjoying a breakthrough tournament in the one-day format during Australia’s 2019 World Cup campaign in England.
The left-hander performed with the bat on that tour, but made some errors behind the stumps.
It was a similar story on Test debut in the 2021-22 Ashes, with decision-making when the ball went into him and at first slip the main concern.
Kerry said he was ‘not that tough’ and revealed that Sir Alastair Cook had apologised
There has been no sign of that on this tour, like Ian Healy he is more confident and working with a softer hand.
‘You have to work hard and keep trying and improving in certain areas. You also get used to certain bowlers,’ Carey said of his keeping.
‘Naturally your body can also change. You act on what is natural and what you try and sometimes create.
‘Not much has changed (technologically).
‘Where certain parts of the world stay, the subcontinent rotates and stays down a bit, Australia bounces it, here in England we talk about wobble.
‘You just try to have a pretty solid foundation and tinker a little bit sometimes.’