In a candid chat on The Scoop podcast ahead of Australia’s second T20I against India at Manuka Oval in Canberra on February 19, 2026 (1:45 PM IST), 32-year-old all-rounder Nicola Carey opened up about her surprise international comeback after a three-year absence.
The Hobart Hurricanes star, who last donned Australian colours in a T20I against India on December 14, 2022, at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium, reflected on a whirlwind six months of franchise triumphs and her determination to stay present rather than chase distant dreams, even with the T20 World Cup in England looming in June.
Nicola Carey’s recall capped an extraordinary run that began with an unexpected late call-up to The Hundred last August as an injury replacement for Georgia Wareham with Northern Superchargers. She wasted no time, smashing 99 runs at a strike rate of 167.79 across four innings while snaring 6 wickets at an average of 25.16 and an economy of 7.55 in six matches, capped by a player-of-the-match performance in the final at Lord’s.
Momentum carried into November’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction, where Mumbai Indians, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, snapped her up. In her WPL debut season, Carey claimed 7 wickets at 25.42 average and 8.90 economy in six matches, alongside 149 runs at a 141.90 strike rate and 37.25 average.
Back home, she played a key role in guiding Hobart Hurricanes to their first WBBL title, grabbing 10 wickets at 25.60 average and 7.52 economy in 11 matches, while scoring 186 runs at 124.83 strike rate and 46.50 average, including a half-century, over 11 outings. These feats caught selectors’ eyes, earning her a spot in Australia’s T20I and ODI squads for this multi-format series. Her return came in the rain-hit first T20I at SCG on Sunday, where she scored a run-a-ball 12 and bowled one over.
Refusing to get carried away, Carey emphasised embracing the now. “The start that we had, it’s not ideal dropping the first game in a series,” she told The Scoop podcast. “But this group hasn’t played a game of T20 cricket together in 12 months, so hopefully it’s just a little bit of rust and blow out the cobwebs.”
After turning down a Cricket Australia contract in 2023 to prioritise domestic cricket, once believing her international days were done, she’s keeping expectations low. “I don’t really set any lofty goals,” she added. “I didn’t really have any expectations of even being in this squad. I’m just going to go with it and see where it takes me.”
Nicola Carey’s journey underscores resilience in women’s cricket, where franchise leagues like The Hundred, WPL, and WBBL are reshaping careers. Her “weird little experiences,” from Hundred glory to Tasmania’s WBBL breakthrough, “that’s probably definitely top of the tree for me this year,” have reignited her fire without the pressure. As Australia eyes redemption at Manuka Oval, Carey’s relaxed mindset could be the X-factor in a series vital for World Cup spots.
(Quotes sourced from cricket.com.au)
Loves all things female cricket