Cricket Australia confirms Tim Paine replacement for first Ashes Test

The worst kept secret in Australian cricket has finally been officially confirmed - Alex Carey will make his Test debut as replacement for former captain Tim Paine.

Carey was officially locked in as Australia's gloveman for the first Ashes Test on Thursday morning, taking the place of Paine after he stepped away following the reveal of a 2018 sexting scandal.

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The 30-year-old edged out Josh Inglis to earn his Test debut, having impressed at Sheffield Shield level for South Australia in recent weeks.

The 30-year-old served as stand-in ODI skipper this year then was excluded from Australia's T20 World Cup squad, with selectors preferring uncapped Inglis as reserve keeper.

The upside was it meant plenty of domestic cricket in recent weeks.

Carey certainly needed some time in the middle after battling a batting slump for much of the Shield season, having passed 50 just once in eight innings before a breakthrough century in a one-day game last Sunday.

Despite the struggles earlier in the season, Carey said his confidence in his ability had never wavered.

"It wasn't a case of 'which end do I hold the bat?'. I still felt like I knew what I was doing," he said.

"I felt in a really good place mentally ... I was hitting the ball well.

"Although the runs didn't come as I would have liked in the first part of the Shield season, over the last couple of years I have been really pretty solid.

"If you miss out in one game, you're probably judged on that and feel like everything is coming down on you.

"It takes one innings to turn all that around and you're in great form again. Justin and George (chief selector George Bailey) have played so many games ... they know what it's like."

Carey remains determined to break back into Australia's T20 plans ahead of next year's World Cup.

"You go one of two ways (after being dropped)," he said.

"Get pretty upset about it, cranky and don't respond too well.

"Or cop it on the chin and learn from it. That's the path I'm going to take ... but for now it's prepare as well as I can (for the Test)."

Brisbane rain an Ashes leveller: Cam Green

Cameron Green is relishing the chance to thwart England's veteran pace duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad even though he admits a lively Gabba green top would favour the tourists.

Both teams have now set up camp in Brisbane after the last of their Twenty20 World Cup players completed quarantine, although heavy rain has restricted them to indoor net sessions rather than the scheduled practice games.

With more rain forecast this week it's likely England will arrive at the Gabba next Wednesday with just 29 overs of centre wicket action under the belts, all of which captain Joe Root and stars Ben Stokes, Anderson and Broad watched from the clubhouse.

Stokes in particular is desperate for time in the middle, the allrounder only just back from mental health leave after his last game of cricket in July.

While that lack of preparation has been viewed as a disadvantage, the flip side is that a lively Gabba pitch awaits that, under grey skies, could have the English feeling right at home.

"Definitely; it's probably conditions they're used to, unfortunately, but we're well prepared too," Green said on Wednesday.

"There's always a bit of spice in it (the Gabba), the weather's been around and it's not going to be any better.

"But it's always pretty good cricket in conditions like that and it's great to face the best players in the world, a good challenge."

The 22-year-old allrounder is entering his second summer in the Test fray, showing plenty with the bat but going wicketless with the ball last summer.

Only used in short spells last season, he says he's more confident in his body having recovered from multiple back stress fractures.

And he's excited by the prospect of a batting alongside enterprising wicketkeeper Carey, who will replace Tim Paine.

With AAP

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