Mold Remediation in Sun Praise, WI

When the swashbuckling, hugely popular Adam Gilchrist burst onto the Test cricket scene back in 1999, it forever changed the measuring stick for wicketkeeper batters.

While Ian Healy and the late Rod Marsh before him were accomplished glovemen who contributed with the willow, Gilchrist’s ability to smash bowling attacks to all parts of the ground and accelerate the run rate set him apart.

Watch India vs England T20I & ODI Series LIVE on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.

Seven Australians have donned the gloves since Gilchrist retired in 2008, with Brad Haddin and former skipper Tim Paine the most successful.

For a variety of reasons, few have faced the scrutiny that has followed incumbent Alex Carey since he replaced Paine in the crucial role in 2021.

An unassuming character, Carey brought up his second Test century with a sensational 156 in the second Test against Sri Lanka, helping the tourists build a 157-run first-innings lead.

Australia lost 7/64 after Smith’s dismissal to slip from 3/350 to 414 all out, highlighting the importance of Carey’s contribution.

The 33-year-old’s innings lifted his average to 35.14 from his 39 Tests to date, ahead of predecessors Paine (32.63), Healy (27.39) and Marsh (26.51).

He also broke Gilchrist’s previous record of 144 for the highest score by an Aussie keeper in Asia, which the Test great managed twice in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Carey, who was dropped in favour of Josh Inglis during the 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, has regularly found himself under pressure to retain his Test place.

While he is considered a dedicated, valuable team member within the squad, Carey has faced persistent outside pressure to retain his baggy green ahead of Inglis.

The 29-year-old Inglis is playing this two-match series, hitting a ton of his own in the first Test victory before getting dismissed for a duck in the first innings of the second, but Carey continues to don the gloves.

Carey’s highest Test score in the first innings, which was part of a match-turning 259-run partnership with stand-in skipper Steve Smith (131), led to some gushing praise for the understated keeper.

Cricket reporter Bharat Sundaresan wrote on X: “Such a popular Test hundred. Such a popular teammate. So deserved for Alex Carey. Has worked so hard for this. Massive external scrutiny on his place in the side over the last 18 months & he’s proven why he’s the No 1 wicketkeeper behind the wickets & with bat in hand.”

Former keeper Darren Berry tweeted: “Alex Carey a mighty fine gloveman who is keeping beautifully and once again shows what a class bat he is. Underrated at times & very consistent performer in his craft.”

Ex-Test all-rounder Simon O’Donnell wrote: “Don’t often comment but Alex Carey is massively underrated in this Australian test team #keeper #Cricket #tough.”

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was keen to point out Carey and Smith’s effort against the Sri Lankan spinners, tweeting: “This Steve Smith & Alex Carey partnership in Galle should be sent around all young players on how to play the spinning ball.”

While Carey is well down the list of total dismissals in Test cricket considering his relatively small number of appearances, his average of 2.219 dismissals per innings is behind only South African Quentin de Kock (2.367) on the list of the top 30 wicket keepers in history.

In a Test match against New Zealand in March 2024, he equalled Gilchrist’s record for most catches in a match with 10, following it up with a match-winning 98 not out with the bat.

He will likely always be remembered for his move to run out Jonny Bairstow in the 2023 Ashes, becoming the subject of intense vitriol from former England greats and the British press when he knocked over the stumps when the English batter assumed the ball was dead.

But efforts like the one he has produced in Galle this week are changing the narrative about a cricketer who quietly goes about his business and is a huge contributor to the side.

Greg Blewett said on Channel 7: “It’s his highest score (and he) played beautifully.

“He always looks to score and motored on, just about a run a ball yesterday.

“He got through the new ball today before his dismissal, hit a lot of boundaries, loves using his feet and has power as well. He played beautifully.”

Speaking during the lunch break on Saturday, Simon Katich added on 7: “It was pure class and I think right from the word go, he went out there with intent.

“The spinners didn’t know how to bowl to him and I think it’s as well as he’s ever played.

“He’s batted superbly here.”

Despite Carey’s heroics, there was a mixed reaction on social media, with some keen to point to the fact he always appears to be under pressure.

Philip Kelly tweeted: “And yet his name always comes up to potentially be replaced.”

An account called Bdosi wrote: “Simply can’t understand why some sections of the media continuously have AC precariously close to being dropped for Inglis???

More Coverage

Pat Cummins announces huge personal news

World erupts over presenter’s daring dress

“Carey is every bit as good a batsman and considerably better gloveman!”

Another account offered: “Since Gilly, the focus has been on runs for keepers, but his glove work has been top notch!”

Regardless of the outside noise, Carey is clearly a key contributor to an Australian side that is currently ranked No. 1 in the world and has an opportunity for a second straight World Test Championship when it faces South Africa in the final at Lord’s in June.

One of the perks of a small independent film like "Green and Gold" getting a nationwide release is that reviewers for the likes of The New York Times and Chicago Sun-Times take notice.

The movie about football, family and farming opens in theaters Friday. It stars Craig T. Nelson as a fourth-generation Wisconsin dairy farmer who bets on the 1990s Green Bay Packers in hopes of saving his land from foreclosure. Directed by Anders Lindwall, it was filmed primarily in Door County in 2021 and is being released in partnership with Culver's and the Green Bay Packers.

Here's what the early reviews have to say, and not to worry, no spoilers included here.

Chicago Sun-Times: 'A stirring Wisconsin story even a Bears fan could love'

Maybe the only thing you need to know about Richard Roeper’s review for the Chicago Sun-Times is the headline: “‘Green and Gold’ tells a stirring Wisconsin story even a Bears fan could love.” High praise for a film with a Packers storyline.

“Directed with grace and grounded style and a keen eye for outdoor visuals by Anders Lindwall, and filmed in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin, this is a warm and authentic slice of farm life, with magnificent work by the 80-year-old Craig T. Nelson, who looks every inch the world-weary Wisconsin farmer,” Roeper writes.

He also had high praise for newcomer Madison Lawlor’s “starmaking turn” as Buck’s granddaughter in “a lovely story well told.”

He gives it three-and-a-half stars out of four. “Even those of us who bleed Navy blue and burnt orange can embrace the messaging and the spirit of ‘Green and Gold.’”

The New York Times: Follows the familiar path of a Hallmark movie

In a four-paragraph review, Glenn Kenny of The New York Times seems to write it off as “something of a shaggy dog story ... that aims to pull at your heartstrings.”

He writes: “The story follows the trajectory familiar to aficionados of Hallmark movies; about 45 minutes in, things start looking up for the characters. Which means that (and you can almost set your watch by it) within an hour and 15 minutes, everything goes to manure, so to speak.”

Milwaukee Record: 'This movie surpassed all expectations'

Tyler Maas of the Milwaukee Record praises it for its “legitimately emotional plot,” the “oodles of local references,” the performances of Nelson, Lawlor and M. Emmet Walsh (in his final film appearance) and the light it shines on Door County and Green Bay, where it was filmed, and Wisconsin as a whole.

“You know those movies that are set somewhere in the Midwest, but the location isn’t specified so that it can pass as almost any rural place in flyover country?” Maas writes. “Well, ‘Green and Gold' isn’t one of those movies. Northeast Wisconsin is mentioned, celebrated, and elevated throughout the film.”

Plus, bonus points for not saddling the characters with corny Midwest accents.

Calling it a “Wisconsin love letter,” he writes that it “legitimately brought ‘a couple two-tree’ tears to our eyes at film’s end.”

The final verdict? “Like the Packers season it chronicles, this movie surpassed all expectations. Altogether, it’s an enjoyable journey — especially for people in Wisconsin. Support local farmers. Eat Culver’s. Go Pack.”

Josh at the Movies: 'Bogged down by predictability'

Miranda Zampogna, an intern for the Josh at the Movies website, gives it two stars out of five.

“Quaint visuals, folk music, and explorations of environmentalism, generational conflict, and community appeal to a rustic charm," she writes. "Yet, despite this, ‘Green and Gold’ ultimately falters, bogged down by predictability and a reliance on heavy-handed platitudes."

She writes favorably of the acting, the cinematography that captures the “beauty of the rural landscape,” “a moving acoustic score” and “a pleasant cozy ambiance” created by Lindwall, but concludes it falls short of its potential.

Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.