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This week, after returning from the 2023 ODI World
Cup, Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne will play in the Sheffield Shield.
Cameron Green will also play as he starts his quest to get back to the Test
team.
Carey, who was left off the one-day squad following
the World Cup match between India and Pakistan, will be looking to get back on
track when he takes on Victora in Adelaide ahead of the Test series against
Pakistan.
Josh Inglis’ white-ball form is exerting some pressure
on Carey, whose returns declined in the latter stages of the 2023 Ashes
following the contentious stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s, even though
Carey has previously stated that the incident has not been a factor. It is
unlikely that the selectors will alter the Test side.
Carey concluded the Ashes with scores of 8, 5, 20, 10,
and 28 after scoring fifty runs in the World Test Championship final against
India and another crucial fifty in the win against England at Edgbaston.
“I don’t feel like one-day and Test cricket
overlay,” Carey said last week. “So we’ll wait and see when Test
selection comes out, but I’m looking forward to getting out there Tuesday and
having a hit with the red ball for the Redbacks and then see what happens.
“You never want to get dropped in any format, and
unfortunately after the first game I didn’t get back out there, but I thought I
held myself around the group pretty well.”
Meanwhile, Green will have to fight to regain his Test
spot after being benched for the Ashes final. If he stays healthy, he will
still be ranked lower than Mitchell Marsh when the Pakistan series begins.
Green will play for the Prime Minister’s XI against Pakistan in Canberra after
playing Queensland in Brisbane. However, since he won’t be playing in the BBL,
he might take a break from the game until he gets included in 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 at the
start of the summer. “There’s a lot of cricket, a lot of things can happen
with injuries or form.
“At the same time, I can use it as 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 Shield game.
“There are obviously a few silver linings you can
take out of it and try and improve your skills and just be better for it if you
get the chance.”