Alex Carey punched his bat in fury after a major brain fade. It exposed the genius of Ben Stokes
As Ben Stokes ripped through Australia's order, Alex Carey looked like he was the great white hope.
Then came a moment he'd love to forget.
Carey was on 26 off 24 balls in Stokes' sixth over and looked the most comfortable of all Australia's batters.
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At the top of his mark to bowl his third ball, Stokes looked at his third man, Brydon Carse, and was bemused that he was out of position.
He put his arms in the air in frustration and ordered him to be squarer.
Ben Stokes gestures to Brydon Carse. Fox Cricket
"Captain's not happy, he wants that third man to be squarer," Adam Gilchrist observed on Fox Cricket.
The next ball was full and straight, pushed to mid-on for no run.
For the following delivery, Carey gave himself room, but Stokes followed him with a short ball.
Australia's last hope guided it to third man and let out an immediate gasp. Carse barely had to move and swallowed it while Carey punched his bat in frustration.
Alex Carey punches his bat in frustration. Getty
"I can't believe it, 10 minutes to go on day one, a man out, you've just got to get through to stumps ... he knew it straight away," Mark Waugh said.
Carey's dismissal summed up the day. There was a combination of genius bowling and smart tactics, coupled with ridiculously dumb batting.
The wicket-keeper batter wasn't the only victim of Stokes' genius.
Cameron Green was batting similarly to Carey and was on 24 off 49 as Stokes brought his mid-off and mid-on straighter.
Green was no doubt expecting a straighter delivery; instead, it was full and wide with the Aussie edging behind.
"That's the reason he pushed mid-off and mid-on straighter, he wanted Cameron Green to feel for the ball, to try and hit that gap at cover," Mike Hussey explained.
Ben Stokes orders his fielders to be straighter. Fox Cricket
It was another moment that showed the genius of Stokes.
Earlier, he'd brought himself on when Travis Head and Green combined for a partnership after it was 4-31.
He snared Head, then sent Green, Carey, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland on their way to claim a five-wicket haul.
Stokes could very well be the difference in this series, and while he's on the field, England has a chance.
