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The Ashes | Alex Carey confirmed for Test debut as Australia move on from Tim Paine

Alex Carey has been named in Australia’s 15-man squad for the first two Tests of the upcoming Ashes series and Cricket Australia has confirmed him as the replacement for the erstwhile captain Tim Paine, who went on to an indefinite break away from the game. Carey will take the gloves and will debut at the Gabba in the first Test starting December 08.

“I am incredibly humbled by this opportunity,” Carey said. “It’s an exciting build-up for what is a huge series.”

Carey has been picked ahead of Josh Inglis, who has got strong support for his batting abilities.

There was always speculation over Paine’s place in the side after his resignation from captaincy. A school of thought did not find him deserving to take the wicketkeeping gloves for Australia but he got strong backing from his teammates such as Nathan Lyon, who came forward rating him as the “best wicketkeeper” in the world. However, all those speculations and guesswork were ended as soon as Paine opted out of the game.

Australia will start their new era with the Ashes series as the new leadership group comprising of Pat Cummins and Steve Smith, who is returning to the group after a gap of three years.

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Paras Mhambrey acknowledges Ishant's lack of rhythm, expects him to come back to best in two Tests

The new Indian team management has acknowledged that lack of workload and bowling long spells throughout the year has hurt Ishant Sharma and the tall pacer is battling for rhythm in the longest format. The Indian bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said that Ishant has not played enough games this year and the team management is doing all it can to ensure he is back and firing all cylinders as quickly as possible. However, Mhambrey highlighted that Ishant’s role in the Indian Test team is not only limited to bowling and that he has a bulk of experience of playing at the highest level which comes in handy for newcomers of the game. He said that the impact of having Ishant in the dressing room goes beyond the bowling spells he bowls on the field. “Ishant hasn’t, unfortunately, played much Test cricket for a long time and didn’t play in IPL or T20 World Cup (and) that does make a difference,” Mhambrey acknowledged. “We are working on his rhythm and we are aware of it. I am sure he needs a couple of games to get that rhythm going. He will be back for sure.” “He has got enough experience under his belt and it makes a huge difference to have him in the dressing room. With the experience that he has and any opportunity for some other bowlers to spend time with him and understand the nuances of fast bowling, is of great help,” the bowling coach outlined the senior player’s broader responsibilities. The second Test between India and New Zealand is set to begin on December 03 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.