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Alex Carey says he won't be tempted to move himself up the order to open the innings if he gets more chances to captain the Australian ODI cricket team.
Stand-in Australian ODI cricket captain Alex Carey won't pull rank and move himself up to open the innings if he continues to lead the side.
The fluent stroke player never got going in a lean Twenty20 series against the West Indies, scoring just 22 run from three innings
But back in the ODI format, in which he averages 37 compared to 11 in T20I, Carey marked his first match as skipper with a valuable 67 off 87 balls batting at No.5 in the first of three matches in Barbados against the West Indies.
He put on 104 with Ashton Turner (49 off 45 balls) in a fifth-wicket partnership, which together with eight wickets between paceman Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood set up a convincing win.
With regular captain Aaron Finch injured, ODI debutants Josh Philippe and Ben McDermott opened the innings, scoring 39 and 28 respectively and put on 51.
The more experienced Carey has opened three times in ODIs, but he's not tempted to move himself up the order.
"I'm so pleased with how the two openers went today, they both set their innings up to go on and make big ones and unfortunately they didn't do that, but it was a difficult wicket," Carey said.
"I see my role through the middle being pretty much there and I thought the way AT (Turner) and I batted, hopefully we can continue our partnership like we did tonight."
Carey lavished praise on Starc and Hazlewood, but was full of admiration for Turner, who was playing just his seventh ODI.
"He's working really hard off the ground, you saw tonight the quality of player he is, he'll play a lot more games for Australia," Carey said.
"He's really busy, he runs hard between the wickets, he's got the ability to clear the pickets.
"Also captaining the team back in WA at times, he's got a lot of knowledge and standing next to me at slip tonight he was great value."
Carey also acknowledged the support and advice of Finch, whose knee injury is being assessed on a day-to-day basis, coach Justin Langer and several other players, including vice-captain Moises Henriques and Matthew Wade.
"I was surrounded by lots of experience out there," Carey said.
