I want to start off by stressing that I am a Josh Inglis fan.
He’s certainly one of the more promising players under thirty in Australia and his call-up to the Australian team last year was the right call, as poor Alex Carey’s form with the bat abandoned him.
However, after 26 games, his ODI record is currently pretty underwhelming; 521 runs at 23.68, with three fifties.
It’s his wonderful strike rate of 101.75 which is presumably keeping his spot safe – along with the recurrent failure of the rest of the Australian batting lineup.
So, with this in mind, the question I want to pose in this article is – what sort of role is he suited to performing?
Let’s start by looking at his three largest knocks for Australia. His first half-century came as part of a monster total of 392 against South Africa.
Coming in at 3-260, he unleashed with a rapid 50 off 37 balls. His next fifty came in the World Cup when he top-scored against Sri Lanka in a low, difficult run chase.
In my opinion, this remains his best knock to date. His only other half-century was scored last summer against the Windies, though he opened on that occasion (something I’ll comment on again).
He looked on track to score another with Smith a few weeks ago but fell one run short and thanks to the subsequent collapse, an awkward run chase was left for the tail to finish off.
But while he’s failed to score a lot of runs down the order for Australia, he has demonstrated a key talent; he can score quickly and from almost ball one, leading to some very useful contributions in big totals, something a few of his team-mates struggle to do.
With the above in mind, we can now ask ourselves, is he the main to stabilise Australia’s middle order? A review of his domestic List A record would suggest he probably isn’t.
Inglis played his first game in the format against a touring South African A side in 2016 but failed to make an impact.
Josh Inglis plays a shot. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
He then played six games for the CA XI in the 2016-17 One Day Cup, passing fifty twice and averaging 31 at 119. However, he did this at the top of the order.
He doesn’t seem to have made an appearance in the 2017-18 Cup, but got his shot for WA in the 2018-19 season, again opening and again knocking up two half-centuries, averaging 30 at 99.
He opened alongside his fellow keeper-batsman, Josh Philippe, who has only ever opened in List A cricket.
Inglis wasn’t needed by the champion WA side in the 2019-20 season, before making a return in the 2020-21 season. Inglis played five games that season, batting down the order.
He scored 28 (off 15 balls), 91(57), 60(48) and 29(40) batting at five and a disappointing 1(9) batting at 4. His 91 came in a total of 317, coming in at 3/146, while his 60 came in a total of 307, coming in at 3/128.
He did his job well, driving the totals beyond 300, but neither fifty was scored from what would be considered a difficult position. His average of 41.80 at 123 was, overall, a good return for the season.
He started the 2021-22 with a failure batting at four – three from six deliveries – and didn’t make another appearance that season. He also didn’t feature in the first three games of the 2022-23 season, before playing the last five.
Initially batting at second drop, he scored 24(28), 85(70) and 5(4), before dropping down to number five and scoring 41 from only 18 balls in a rain-reduced run chase of 20-something overs.
His 85 this season was scored after he came in at 2/96, so like his other decent scores two seasons earlier, he performed his role well but wasn’t coming in under dire circumstances.
He ended the season with 138 from 110 in the final but did this as an opener. His only century couldn’t have been timed better, as he made a return to the Australian side later that year.
So, what does all this tell us? It tells us that if you need quick runs, Inglis is probably one of the best options available in Australia.
It also tells us that like most of the under-30 domestic players, he prefers to open if a spot is available. However, it also tells us that there’s almost no proof that he’s the guy to build an innings around from the middle of the order.
In fact, his returns at four are poor, though it’s a small sample size; 1(9), 24(28), 85(70) and 5(4).
Interestingly, while he seemed to do better at five domestically, and it’s the position from which he’s scored two of his three ODI half-centuries, he averages more at six and seven for Australia – though he’s only batted in each position twice.
Inglis has a role to play for Australia moving forward, Maxwell is at the tail end of his career and Stoinis has consistently shown he’s not what we need down the order.
Inglis can be the guy to drive a good total well north of 300, but he needs a platform to do this from and at present, Australia is not building them.
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