ASHES 2021-22 UPDATE: Alex Carey To Replace Tim Paine As Australian Wicketkeeper

Australian selectors have all-but-announced Alex Carey as the player to don the wicketkeeping gloves for Australia in the first test of the Ashes 2021-22. 

30-year-old Alex Carey made his ODI debut in January 2018, when he replaced an ill Tim Paine. In the same month, he was called up for his maiden T20I series and made his debut in the format next month.

However, Carey is yet to make his test debut and he will most probably play in the first Ashes test starting from December 8 at the Gabba, Brisbane. Much like his ODI debut, he is replacing Tim Paine to get his spot. 

Tim Paine, whose 'sexual chats' with a colleague from 2017 went public a few days back. Since then, there has been a huge turmoil as Paine first resigned from the captaincy and then announced that he is taking an indefinite break from playing cricket owing to mental health problems, which subsequently ruled him out of the Ashes series. 

Alex Carey was able to impress the selectors with a well-timed century in the Marsh One-Day Cup, even though prior to that he had just one fifty in 8 innings, averaging just 22. 

Josh Inglis was another contender for Tim Paine's vacant spot. Inglis had dominated the last season of Shield with 585 runs, averaging 73. He also performed well in England's T20 League & The Hundred. However, in his call-up for the T20 World Cup 2021, where he got to play only one warm-up game. Due to the denied game time, Alex Carey was able to grab Paine's spot ahead of Inglis.