Nicola Carey is embracing her return to life on the road, revealing her international recall has yet to fully sink in as she pushes her case for a spot in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Three years after turning down a Cricket Australia contract, Carey has been back in the thick of the action during Australia’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean as they experiment with their pace attack and finetune plans for the ICC tournament in England.
So far, that’s included three T20Is in St Vincents – and a rest day spent cruising in a catamaran – before a short flight over the Lesser Antilles to St Kitts, where the first of three one-dayers will be played on Friday (5am Saturday AEDT).
“It’s very similar, I’ve hadn’t been here for a while, but coming back in, there’s a lot of familiar faces, which is always nice, it makes it a little bit more comfortable coming back in,” Carey said in Basseterre on Thursday.
“It’s also been a bit different … I’ve been off doing my own thing, and getting an opportunity here is really cool … it’s a world-class team, and there’s some pretty big tournaments coming up.
“(The World Cup) is a massive tournament, everyone here would want to be a part of that – it’s the carrot dangling at the end of this series.
“Everyone’s trying to put their best foot forward here and getting different opportunities, which has been really cool.”
Carey’s return to the Australia XI at the SCG last month was her first appearance in the green and gold since December 2022.
Those years in between, after Carey turned down a CA contract in early 2023, saw her lean into life in Tasmania and domestic cricket.
It was a call made to maximise her playing opportunities after being on the periphery of the Australia XI during long stretches on the road.
In a full-circle moment, that additional time in Tasmania gave Carey the opportunity to grow her game, add new skills and ultimately, brought about her international recall three years later.
“(Being back) probably hasn’t really sunk in yet, to be honest – I probably need a bit of space from being here after this series,” Carey continued.
“I’m not really sure what that means for the future, but it’s been fun while it’s lasted so far.”
A busy start to 2026 saw Carey travel to India for the Women’s Premier League before linking up with the Australian squad that hosted India across February and March, before the current tour of the West Indies.
If she holds her spot for the upcoming T20 World Cup, that will see her on the road for another lengthy stretch from late May to early July, before she joins MI London for The Hundred in August.
Carey admitted it had been a whirlwind, but she was equally determined to take every opportunity that came her way over the coming months and beyond.
“It’s a funny one – when you’re out of it, you sit back and you think, ‘I don’t know how I was on the road for that long’,” Carey reflected on her time out of the Australian side.
“It’s a pretty hectic life, you see all the girls do it, and you think, ‘geez I don’t know how they do it, not being at home that often’.
“But when you’re in it, you just do it – it’s fun being around the group, and you get to travel to some pretty cool places, so when you’re in there doing it, it’s actually quite enjoyable.
“You do miss home at times, but you just get on with it and you push through.
“It’s been a pretty busy last few months, so I feel that’s held me in good stead for potential future travel.”
Australia’s desire to experiment with players in different roles throughout the T20I leg saw Carey handed a rare chance to open the bowling – something she has added to her repertoire in domestic cricket – alongside a couple of cameos with the bat.
Speaking on Thursday, she was less sure of what her role would look like in the ODIs, but with Annabel Sutherland sitting out the tour, there is the potential for Carey to potentially play a more significant role in the middle-order, and take on a larger role through the middle-to-death overs where Sutherland has been dominant in recent years.
“With the T20 World Cup coming up, naturally, they wanted to see a few different things … hopefully they got a good look at whatever they wanted to look at,” she said.
“It’s been cool to experience different things within this team.
“It’s always hard in T20, you get four overs max to do your thing, and you’re coming in at different times, different situations.
“I’m not sure what they’ll do in (the ODIs) in terms of who fills (Sutherland’s) role and whatnot, but there’s definitely opportunities there and if you get called up and you get those opportunities, you’ve got to make the most of it.”
Qantas tour of the West Indies 2026
First T20I: Australia won by 43 runs
Second T20I: Australia won by 17 runs
Third T20I: Australia won by 40 runs (DLS method)
First ODI: March 28, Warner Park, St Kitts, 5am AEDT (March 27, 2pm local)
Second ODI: March 30, Warner Park, St Kitts, 5am AEDT (March 29, 2pm local)
Third ODI: April 3, Warner Park, St Kitts, 5am AEDT (April 2, 2pm local)
West Indies squad: Hayley Matthews (c), Chinelle Henry (vc), Aaliyah Alleyne, Eboni Brathwaite, Shemaine Campbelle, Jahzara Claxton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Jannillea Glasgow, Shawnisha Hector, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor
Australia squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham, Tahlia Wilson
All matches to be broadcast on ESPN via Disney+ only
