South Australian star Alex Carey is set to wear baggy green in the upcoming first Test of the Ashes 2021-22 at Gabba in Brisbane. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Carey is ready to make his Test debut at Gabba after being given the nod ahead of Josh Inglis.
Carey and Inglis were in the competition for the wicketkeeper’s spot in the team after the regular keeper Tim Paine took an indefinite break from all forms of the game to focus on his mental health following his texting scandal.
Carey, however, won the battle against Inglis to replace Paine behind the stumps for the first Ashes Test. He made a half-century just once in the Sheffield Shield from eight innings this season with an average of 22, but a timely century in the Marsh One-Day Cup was enough to influence selectors. Another aspect that went in favour of Carey is that he has represented Australia at the international level in limited-overs cricket while Inglis is uncapped at the international level.
Despite some former Aussie cricketers going for Inglis instead of Carey, the latter had the backing of two of Australian cricket’s most important figures, Justin Langer and George Bailey, the Australian coach and chief selector respectively. They were able to ignore Carey’s recent Shield scores and recognise how crucial the left-handed batter could become for the Aussie unit.
Carey was also grateful that Langer and Bailey understood his skills and did not judge him on some poor performances.
“Cricket is one of those games. You miss out in one game, and you’re probably judged on that, and you feel like everything is coming down on you. But it takes one innings to turn all that around, and you’re in great form again. Justin and George have played so many games of cricket for Australia, and they know what it’s like,” said Carey as quoted by News.com.au.
