Home Cricket Facts Carey and Labuschagne to play Sheffield Shield ahead of Pakistan Tests

Carey and Labuschagne to play Sheffield Shield ahead of Pakistan Tests

cricadmin
-
0
Carey and Labuschagne to play Sheffield Shield ahead of Pakistan Tests


Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne will play in the Sheffield Shield this week following their return from the 2023 ODI World Cup, while Cameron Green is also expected to be present as he begins his push to return to the Test side.

Carey, who was dropped from the one-day squad after the World Cup opener against India, will hope to find some form ahead of the Test series against Pakistan when they face Victora in Adelaide.

The selectors are unlikely to make a switch to the Test side, but Josh Inglis’ white-ball form is putting some pressure on Carey, whose returns faded in the latter part of the 2023 Ashes after Jonny’s controversial defeat Bairstow at Lord’s, although Carey has previously insisted the incident was not a factor.

“I’m not looking forward to spending a day and trying out overlay cricket,” Carey said last week. “So we’ll wait and see when the Test selection comes out, but I’m looking forward to going out on Tuesday and having a red-ball knock for the Redbacks and then seeing what happens.

“You never want to get dropped in any format, and unfortunately after the first game I didn’t come out again, but I thought I held my own in the group pretty well.”

Meanwhile, Green faces a battle to regain his Test spot after being dropped for the final Ashes match. Barring injury, he still appears behind Mitchell Marsh in the pecking order for the start of the Pakistan series. After playing against Queensland in Brisbane, Green will also feature in the Prime Minister’s XI against Pakistan in Canberra, but will not be part of the BBL, meaning he will be eligible for a break from the game unless he is part of the Test squads . .

“I’m obviously still learning as a cricketer. So I’m not too stressed about selection at the moment,” Green told AAP earlier in the summer. “There is a lot of cricket, a lot of things can happen with injuries or form.

“At the same time, I can use it in a pretty positive way. I can spend more time in the nets, really trying to get that rhythm of red-ball cricket. If you’re not playing the Test match, you might be able to play another game of Shield.

“There are obviously some positives you can take from this and try to improve your skills and be better if you get the chance.”

But it remains to be seen how many opportunities Green will get for red-ball matches in the latter part of the season, as he will likely be part of Australia’s one-day and T20 squads in February and New Zealand for the two Tests ahead. They extend until March. He will then embark on another IPL in which he will appear for Royal Challengers Bangalore after being traded by the Mumbai Indians.

Labuschagne, who made a notable return to the ODI team after missing the initial cut for the World Cup followed by a series of events that kept him in the team throughout the tournament, will line up against Green for Queensland as he takes the opportunity for a red ball hit before the Tests.

Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon will complete his Test preparations by playing for New South Wales against Tasmania at the SCG. He has made a successful return from his Ashes-ending calf injury, having previously faced Victoria and Western Australia.

Of the rest of Australia’s likely XI for the opening Test in Perth, the three frontline quicks (Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood) along with Marsh are resting after the World Cup. Scott Boland, who is likely to feature at some point in a season that includes seven Tests, has also been rested.

David Warner is also resting ahead of what will be his final Test series. Steven Smith and Travis Head are still currently with the T20I team in India.

Elsewhere in the final round of the Sheffield Shield before its BBL break, there will be a fascinating showdown between Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw at the Gabba with the pair vying to be Warner’s Test replacement in January. Marcus Harris, who has regularly been Australia’s substitute batsman over the past 18 months, will be in action against South Australia.

© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv