During the first Test between Australia and Pakistan, there was a strange moment involving Australia’s wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel was at the crease, having played a long, slow innings. After he blocked a delivery, Marnus Labuschagne quickly flipped the ball backhanded to Carey behind the stumps. Carey waited for Shakeel to lift his foot, then gently touched the stumps with the ball in hand. But the bails didn’t fall, so the batter wasn’t out. The Aussies looked confused, unsure if anything had happened. Carey claimed he hit the stumps, but the faint touch wasn’t enough to dislodge the bails. Without a dismissal and no review taken, play continued.
Some wondered if Carey hesitated or pulled back out of caution, maybe not wanting more controversy after his stumping of Jonny Bairstow in the Ashes. Regardless, the missed chance didn’t matter. A couple of overs later, Nathan Lyon got Shakeel with a classic off-spin delivery. The ball turned sharply, found the edge, and David Warner took the catch cleanly. No sneaky moves that time, just a solid bit of bowling and fielding. The contrast between the quiet stump tap and the sharp spin that followed showed how different approaches can still get the same result.