Nicola Carey, the 32-year-old Tasmanian all-rounder, is making a triumphant return to the Australian women’s cricket set-up after over three years away, earning a spot in the white-ball squads for the upcoming multi-format home series against India from February 15 to March 6, 2026.
Last featuring in a T20I against India on December 14, 2022, at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium, Carey’s recall stems from her dominant domestic form, including a standout debut in the WPL and leadership in Australia’s domestic competitions. Voted the 2026 Women’s Domestic Player of the Year by her peers, she brings evolved skills, new-ball swing, sharper T20 batting, and relentless all-round impact- to the white-ball leg of an all-format series featuring three T20Is, three ODIs, and a pink-ball Test.
Nicola Carey’s journey back wasn’t premeditated. In 2023, she turned down a Cricket Australia contract to focus full-time on Tasmania, prioritising game time over international stints that often meant “carrying drinks.” Speaking to cricket.com.au, she shared the mindset shift: “At the end of the day, (turning down the contract) was honestly just about playing more games at cricket, and I thought that was the best way to go about it. I was really happy just doing what I was doing in domestic cricket, and that took the pressure off as well. I didn’t have any expectations.”
That approach paid dividends. National selector Shawn Flegler called last month, and Carey said “yes” without hesitation. Her domestic dominance speaks volumes: across 12 Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) matches from December 11, 2024, to December 13, 2025, she scored 338 runs at 30.73, including a century against Queensland, and snared 17 wickets at 25.24. In the ongoing WNCL for Tasmania, she added 109 runs at a strike rate of 110.10 and an average of 27.25 in four innings (with a half-century), plus 6 wickets at 25.66 and an economy of 5.46, including a four-wicket haul.
Her T20 prowess shone brighter. In five Spring Challenge games, Carey blasted 191 runs at 47.75 and took 3 wickets at 34.67. For Hobart Hurricanes in WBBL 11, she scored 186 runs at 46.50, elevating her career T20 strike rate to 125 from a prior 102.59, and grabbed 10 wickets at 25.60, helping secure their first title. Her WPL debut with Harmanpreet Kaur’s Mumbai Indians yielded 149 runs at 141.90 strike rate and 37.25 average in six innings, alongside 7 wickets at 25.42 and 8.90 economy in six matches.
What sets Carey apart is her evolution into a three-dimensional force. Once a middle-to-death overs specialist, she’s now a new-ball threat, a “happy accident” from filling in during WNCL. “Opening the bowling is not something I’ve done a huge amount of. I was filling in the role for someone who wasn’t available, and I really enjoyed it,” she explained. “I’d always been in teams where we’ve had the opening bowlers all covered. It was surprisingly quite enjoyable, and it led into the Big Bash this year, taking the new ball there. I still do the middle overs and a bit of the death stuff as well.”
Batting clarity has followed, honed through team talks at the Hurricanes. “With the bat, I’ve probably just become a little bit clearer about what works for me and how I can go about taking on T20 cricket. They’ve been really good to me in that space,” Carey noted. This makes her a perfect fit for Australia’s stacked line-up, ready to contribute in any phase against India.
Carey’s story underscores domestic cricket’s value, blending grit with joy. Her return adds depth to an already formidable squad.
(Quotes sourced from cricket.com.au)
Loves all things female cricket