With just 10 days to go for the first Ashes Test, beginning at the Gabba, Brisbane on December 8, Cricket Australia (CA) is yet to decide on who will be the wicketkeeper for the series after Tim Paine decided to take an indefinite break from cricket following the sexting scandal.
The search has reportedly narrowed down to South Australian 'keeper Alex Carey and West Australian Josh Inglis.
"A three-man panel of George Bailey, Justin Langer and Tony Dodemaide will make the decision on who Australian's next gloveman is, with Inglis needing two of the three to side with him to get the job," a report on sen.com.au quoting the Herald Sun said on Sunday.
Australian spin wizard Shane Warne had recently written in his column for the Herald Sun that his vote for the wicketkeeper's job would go to Inglis, 26, who was born in the United Kingdom and moved to Australia as a 14-year-old.
"Inglis gets my vote. He's got silky smooth hands behind the stumps, he's a 360 degree player with the bat and coming off three first-class hundreds last season for WA. He's a great team man who I saw first-hand at the London Spirit this year. He's 26. Bang, get him in," Warne had said recently.
Former Australian wicket-keeping great Ian Healy too praised Inglis, saying he could be given a chance, though he did not rule out Carey being given the job.
"Well I think Carey, I don't think he's done anything wrong not to get that job, and he's just young enough at 30-years-old. Having said that, my selection would have been Josh Inglis. Carey certainly deserves to have a go, but if George Bailey (CA chairman of selectors) and his selectors say, 'No, we're going to go young and build the future', then it looks like Josh Inglis, who has absolutely jammed the door with his foot," Healy had said recently.
What could tilt the balance in favour of Inglis is the fact that he was included in the recent T20 World Cup squad over Carey. The duo was included in the Australia A squad after Paine was initially named as the sole keeper in the Ashes squad.