T20 vice-captain Alex Carey has been a frustrated spectator for much of Australia's dismal tour of England, but the classy strokeplayer's ready to make up for lost time in Wednesday's one-off Twenty20 match at Edgbaston.
With Test and one-day skipper Tim Paine donning the gloves in the 5-0 defeat to England, Carey didn't appear until the final two matches of the series as a replacement for the injured Glenn Maxwell.
Paine, Michael Neser and Nathan Lyon flew home on Monday with Nic Maddinson and Jack Wildermuth called into the squad, leaving Aaron Finch as captain with Carey as his deputy.
The South Australian, who was touted as a potential bolter for the Ashes series earlier this year, was part of the squad that beat England twice in a tri-series with New Zealand in February.
Carey is confident that experience will stand the team in good stead and said the team are desperate to atone for a woeful ODI series.
"Losing 5-0 is not acceptable for the Australian cricket team," Carey said.
"We don't want that result ever again. Our T20 is going really well, we're second in the world at the moment and we want to go one better.
"We've got a few new inclusions into the T20 side and I think it's just really exciting, not to start again, but to go out there and show the T20 cricket we are playing is fantastic.
"If we can back up the tri-series we had in New Zealand and against England, we'll be fine."
The 27-year-old has spent time with both Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, who are helping with the team on an informal basis in England, where they have been working as TV and radio commentators.
He said he has enjoyed picking the brains of two of the greatest players of the modern era and hopes their advice will ultimately help him become an integral part of Australia red and white ball sides.
"I want to be the best player of spin," he said.
"There's so much I've spoken to him (Ponting) about and just trying to take what works for me as well.
"The best part about Gilly is he kept it pretty simple when he played and he's doing the same with the messages he's giving us.
"It's pretty much 'what's best for our team to win a game?' and going into games with that mentality. It keeps everything else pretty simple."
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