Alex Carey reveals how Virat Kohli's advice is helping him during The Ashes 2023

Why you’re reading this: Australia beat India in the World Test Championship on June 11, 2023 by 209 runs and after that the Australian team went on to face England in the Ashes 2023, which is off to a firing start at the  Edgbaston Stadium, UK. Australian wicketkeeper-batter, Alex Carrey makes a huge statement on his reverse-sweep shot after the WTC Final.

3 things you need to know

• England last won the Ashes in 2015
• Alex Carrey has decided not to use his reverse-sweep shot often
• Australia are the only team to will all men's division trophies in ICC format

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Why has Alex Carrey decided to limit his reverse-sweep shot?

Alex Carey, the Australian wicketkeeper-batsman, disclosed that the Indian star Virat Kohli and former Austrlia’s captain Steve Smith were both critical of his reverse-sweep stroke during the World Test Championship (WTC) final. As a result of the criticism from these recognised players, Carey considered abandoning the unconventional shot in his following tournament that included the Ashes 2023.

Carey had used unconventional sweeps and reversal sweeps earlier in the year to address the spin threat in the subcontinent. However, he was disqualified four times when attempting the reverse-sweep shot.

In the WTC final, Carey attempted a reverse sweep off the Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in Australia's first innings in the WTC Final 2023  but was trapped in front of the stumps. Although he missed out on a solid half century, he later played a disciplined innings in the second innings, scoring 66 runs without attempting the unorthodox shot which played a crucial role for the Australian cricket team. During this innings, he forged a crucial 118-run partnership with centurion Usman Khawaja (141) for the sixth wicket.

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What did Alex Carrey say about his reverse sweep-shot?

During an interview with Australian Associated Press, Alex Carey said why he will not be using his famous reverse sweep shot often: "There was no need to play that at The Oval in the first innings. When you have Virat Kohli and Steve Smith saying, 'what are you doing that for?' you probably listen to them," he said.

The player said that both Steve Smith and Virat Kohli had asked him what was the reason that the player was using that specific shot so often and having a high risk of losing the wicket. The player has only used the shot once in the Ashes 2023 and that was against Moeen Ali as the player managed to hit 4 boundaries and one six against England’s all-rounder but the reverse sweep shot only got him 2 runs.