Rising star Inglis saves WA as game heads for a draw

Josh Inglis enhanced his status as the standout wicketkeeper of the Marsh Sheffield Shield bubble and did no harm to his case to become Australia's next English-born Test player with a mighty rescue act on Tuesday.

Inglis bombed six sixes in a brutal century, his second in four games, to steer Western Australia away from the first-innings deficit they looked destined for and instead push them into the lead on day three of their clash with Victoria.

The Vics' dominant opening pair Will Pucovski (32 not out) and Marcus Harris (24 not out) erased all but four runs of the 65-run advantage WA eked out before stumps, but their path to victory is now much more difficult than it looked set to be earlier in the day.

WA had slumped to 6-272, still 142 runs behind Victoria, when Shaun Marsh was out for 135. But from No.8, Inglis put on 92 with D’Arcy Short before shepherding the tail cleverly, helping to add 207 for the final four wickets.

It saw WA reach 479 in reply to Victoria's 4-414 declared, as Inglis finished with 125 from just 122 balls to take his batting average this season to 118.

The right-hander formed a devastating opening partnership with Liam Livingstone is last season’s KFC BBL at the Perth Scorchers and the right-hander went into to T20 mode today as he reached triple figures by taking 17 off one Scott Boland over.

"(Batting with the tail) is something you've got to get used to batting at seven," said Inglis, who slipped down one spot in the order after Matt Kelly was sent in as a nightwatchman the previous evening.

"Just with experience and doing it more and more you get used to the role a bit more. It was a lot of fun today – I got the chance to get a crack at a few later on."

Inglis moved from Yorkshire, where he played junior cricket against the likes of future England Test opener Dom Sibley, to Perth in 2009 as a 14-year-old and is now an Australian citizen.

"We had been out here on holiday a few times and loved it," said the now 25-year-old.

"We fell in love with the place and moved out here … I love it here and it's my desire to play for Australia."

National selectors showed that Inglis was in their sights last summer when they picked him for an Australia A game against the England Lions, and his latest hundred creates an interesting dynamic in the Test wicketkeeping pecking order.

Tim Paine is not going nowhere anytime soon, but the Test gloveman turns 36 next month and Inglis has pushed his case as a potential successor while limited-overs keeper Alex Carey has been in the UAE for the Indian Premier League.

The nuggetty keeper smashed two extraordinary sixes over the off-side off Boland after acknowledging his second ton of the season, having scored his first against South Australia in the opening round.

"I got my first (century) a couple of games ago and it was just a huge relief," he said. "To back it up with another was really nice.

"I've been pretty consistent, I feel like I've played okay the last few years without getting that big score. To get that first one under the belt, it was just nice to get that monkey off the back.

"Hopefully now I can continue to get big scores and be a bit more consistent."

The platform had been laid the previous day by Marsh, who scored his third century in four games, and then on a warm Tuesday morning pushed on past Will Pucovski as the competition's leading run scorer with an emphatic six off Jon Holland (4-115 off 42.1 overs).

Kelly, the opening bowler who showed off his surprising skills with the bat when he whacked a run-a-ball 89 against NSW last month, added 31 handy runs as the nightwatchman.

Short stood firm with Inglis to dash Victoria's hopes of a quick kill and although the impressive Will Sutherland (2-61 from 21 overs) had the former edging to slip two short of a half-century, Inglis proved harder to dislodge.

He brought up WA's 400 with a booming off-drive off Sutherland and took Holland on in an engaging battle; the left-arm spinner changed to over the wicket after Inglis swept him for six, turning one from outside leg stump and past his outside edge.

Lance Morris, who sprained his ankle earlier in the game, came out to bat with Hilton Cartwright as his runner but Inglis looked intent on saving his legs, finally skying one off Holland for an easy catch to give him his fourth wicket.

Pucvoski had made 457 runs in his first two innings this season, including 202 in the first innings of this game, but could have been out on his second ball when he chipped narrowly out of reach of the mid-wicket fielder.

He was troubled by Cameron Green, who bowled a lively spell without reward before stumps, but got one back on his fellow young gun with a delightful flick for four off his hips.