'Everywhere' Inglis hopes to rekindle rhythm in settled BBL

In the space of 14 days in late November, Josh Inglis travelled 5500km and faced three different coloured cricket balls across two different formats of the game.

Even for someone who had spent the better part of 18 months on the road having been locked out of his home state by pandemic border restrictions, Inglis admits he has found it tough to find his rhythm over the last month.

After a freak golfing mishap heralded the end of his T20 World Cup before the tournament even begun, the 27-year-old returned to action for his state the day after Australia's World Cup campaign was cut short at the end of the group stages.

A return to form with Western Australia ensued a week later with a half century in a Marsh One-Day Cup match, and he was quickly drafted into the Aussie's ODI squad across the country in Sydney for the final two matches against England.

He came extremely close to an international recall in Melbourne a few days later but Travis Head made a miraculous recovery to peel off a 152, before Inglis jetted off to Canberra to captain the Prime Minister's XI the following day and then to Brisbane for a Marsh Sheffield Shield match.

His whirlwind fortnight came to end last Sunday following WA's tense rain-affected draw with Queensland at the Gabba, with the back-up Aussie wicketkeeper-batter currently enjoying a few quieter days at home in the lead up to KFC BBL|12.

"It's been tough, I've just been here, there and everywhere really," Inglis told cricket.com.au's Unplayable Podcast amid preparations for the Scorchers season opener against the Sydney Sixers in Perth on December 17.

"I've found it tough to get a bit of rhythm in my game with switching formats.

"I was really close to playing the last one-dayer at the MCG and pretty much up until the toss I was playing and then (Travis) Head made a miraculous recovery and smacked 152 and then I was on a flight to Canberra for the pink-ball game.

"So, it hasn't worked out how I would like probably the last couple of weeks, I haven't got the runs I'd like but I'm training really well."

While the loss of rhythm has resulted in a lean run in first-class cricket for the West Australian gloveman, he takes confidence in his Big Bash record of the past three seasons (955 runs at 28) and the fact he hit 85 in his last white-ball match prior to being called into the ODI squad.

"I'm definitely confident in my T20 game at the minute," Inglis said.

"It's going to be nice that I'm starting the tournament with the Scorchers, so I've got a whole tournament ahead of me unless something happens and I get picked in the Test squad.

"(The Big Bash) that's my sole focus right now, that's all I can control and my mind is just on doing what the team needs me to do."

That may involve being flexible in where he bats – and while he wasn't giving too much away ahead of the Scorchers' first match of BBL|12 – their last-minute signing of veteran Yorkshire opener Adam Lyth alongside Faf du Plessis as overseas replacement players means he could slide to No.3, a position where he has spent time for Australia during his nine T20 internationals.

"I honestly don't mind (where I bat)," Inglis said.

"I've done both (open and bat in the middle-order) over the last couple of years and there's pros and cons for both – bat at the top you get the field up, but if you bat in the middle, you get a bit of extra time and if you build an innings, you can get a licence at the end with that Power Surge."

With the hand fully healed and the disappointment of not being part of a home World Cup campaign behind him, Inglis has set his sights on earning a place in Australia's squads for their two Test tours next year – India in February-March and England, the country of his birth, for the Ashes in June-July.

"Once (the injury) happened and I knew it was fairly serious, I was absolutely gutted to be ruled out of the World Cup … it hurt a lot obviously," Inglis said.

"I had a big gash out my hand and my ring finger.

"I looked down and there was blood everywhere and immediately you think worst case scenario and I was like 'oh that's season done, that's World Cup, that's Big Bash, that's everything'.

"Thankfully there was no tendon damage and I got stitched up that day and was back playing within a couple of weeks, which was a pretty good result.

"I'm hoping they'll take two 'keepers to India and I'm the second.

"I've spent a bit of time in India but not for a Test tour and there's some white-ball cricket at the back end of that as well which would be really nice to be involved in.

"So that tour is definitely one I want to get on and the Ashes next year, that'd be pretty special to be a part of as well.

"But look that's obviously in the future and (is something) to look forward."

For now though, Inglis is just focused on what's coming up next and that's the Big Bash, and with the loss of Aussie teammate Mitch Marsh to ankle surgery for the entire season he'll have to shoulder more of the burden at the top of the order as the Scorchers try to defend their title and claim an unprecedented fifth BBL championship.

Along with Lyth, the Scorchers have also signed English batter Stephen Eskinazi, who is currently plying his trade for Claremont-Nedlands in WA Premier Cricket, and young local left-arm wrist-spinner Hamish McKenzie as replacement players.

Perth Scorchers BBL|12 squad: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Tymal Mills (England), Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye. Replacement players: Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Adam Lyth (England), Stephen Eskinazi (England), Hamish McKenzie