“I can’t help but think that might have impacted his performance” - Mark Taylor on Alex Carey's poor form since Jonny Bairstow debacle

Former Australia captain Mark Taylor believes that Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal at Lord's has severely affected Alex Carey's form. The Australian wicket-keeper played a huge role by dislodging the bails with a throw after Bairstow had wandered out of the crease despite the ball still being in play.

Since then, Carey has been given a hostile reception, particularly at Headingley, Leeds, where a large section of their fans took out their shoes when he came into bat. The left-handed batter began the Ashes campaign with a fifty, but only scored 13 runs in the third Test and 30 runs across the next two innings at Old Trafford and The Oval.

Taylor opined that Carey's poor form is either down to fatigue or the backlash following Bairstow's dismissal during the second Test. He told Channel 9:

"His batting certainly has fallen away a bit throughout the series. Whether that’s fatigue or not, you can’t help but think it might have started with this incident. It’s his first Ashes Tour in England and the crowd have been giving it to him. There was quite a bit after the incident. Every time he goes out to bat or keep now, he gets booed."

He continued:

"You won’t meet a nicer guy playing cricket in Australia at the moment than Alex Carey. I can’t help but think that might have impacted his performance over the last couple of Test matches.”

Carey was thrust into the spotlight after former skipper Tim Paine's unceremonious exit ahead of the 2021 Ashes. Since then, he has been the first-choice wicket-keeper in red-ball cricket for Australia, having played 25 Tests, which includes a World Test Championship (WTC) Final appearance.

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Carey scored 10 runs off 23 deliveries in the first innings of the final Ashes Test

Alex Carey came into bat after Mitchell Marsh's dismissal at 151-5. However, he had to depart following a rather soft dismissal. He attempted to play Joe Root, coming around the wicket, through the offside, but hit the ball straight to Ben Stokes at short cover.

The wicket-keeper batter's dismissal reduced the visitors to 170-6, which worsened to 185-7 in quick time. However, a match-defining set of partnerships for the eighth and ninth wicket allowed Australia to gain a small lead, which could prove to be crucial in the low-scoring affair.

Has the Bairstow dismissal impacted Australia's wicketkeeper in any way? Let us know what you think.