Alex Carey is mounting pressure on Tim Paine, says Australia great Adam Gilchrist

Australia captain Tim Paine’s leadership and exceptional glove work have never been in doubt. Under his tutelage, Australia retained the Ashes after winning the fourth Test, with England equalling the series at 2–2 in the final test. In the process, Tim Paine became the first Australian Test captain since Steve Waugh in 2001 to retain the Ashes in a series in England.

After whitewashing Sri Lanka in the Test series at home, Tim Paine’s men continued their dominance against Pakistan where they comprehensively got the better of the visitors with relative ease, winning 2-0. With so many positives surrounding Tim Paine, his batting form is something which is haunting him like hell. Paine is averaging just 20 this calendar year but claims he is judged mainly on his glovework and leadership than his results with the bat.

Meanwhile, former Australia great Adam Gilchrist added that Tim Paine’s men have all the tools to kick-start a successful era, while also adding how much longer Tim Paine will be in contention for the team setup. It is going to be a test of Tim Paine’s tactical acumen as they will take on the world No.2 side New Zealand, who are looking forward to winning their first series on Australian soil since 1985.

Alex Carey mounts pressure on Tim Paine: Adam Gilchrist

While Tim Paine’s astute leadership traits have played a huge part in Australia’s resurgence, wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey is also pressing the case by channelising the aggression in the right way. He is in contention for a Test debut on the back of two sterling centuries in the Sheffield Shield this season.

“When you’ve got a guy like Alex Carey nipping at his heels. He’s starting to show some really promising signs of consistency now in his Sheffield Shield cricket. With his overall game and where the attention gets drawn to is his run-scoring. His wicketkeeping seems to be extremely consistent, as is Tim Paine’s. But Carey is now starting to really accumulate important runs in first-class cricket, so that is going to really put pressure on him,” Gilchrist was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.

“If he is playing next summer, Tim Paine should be captain of the Australian cricket team. But we will have to see at the end of the summer if he is still in there – whether it’s his own personal judgment or the selectors.”

Just like Australia, New Zealand are brimming with confidence after successfully outsmarting England in the just-concluded Test series by winning 1-0. Australia will play three Tests at home, with the first match scheduled to be played on December 12 at Perth.

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