As a teenager, Alex Carey was spoilt for choices when deciding what to play. Being good at both Australian football and cricket will do that to a person. In 2010, he turned down a contract from South Australia Cricket Association and joined Greater Western Sydney Giants, an Australian Football League team. After being left out of the team in 2012, Carey joined Glenelg Cricket Club in grade cricket. In 2013, he made his first-class debut against New South Wales. Carey's breakout season in grade cricket came in 2015-16. This led to him replacing Tim Ludeman in the South Australian team for the last few matches of the 2015-16 Sheffield Shield season. In the 2016-17 Sheffield Shield, Carey became only the fourth player to score 500 runs and have 50 dismissals as a wicketkeeper in a single season. Carey's domestic form did not go unnoticed as he was finally handed an opportunity to play for the Australian senior side in 2018 when he played against England in an ODI. Soon after that, he made his T20I debut the same year as well. In 2019, after Australian cricket's cultural review, he was made the vice-captain of the limited-overs sides.