Format-hopping prowess has 'pumped' Inglis in Test frame

Josh Inglis's ability to readily switch between formats – one of the key skills that earned him elevation to Australia's Test squad – will be crucial as he prepares to potentially earn a maiden Baggy Green cap.

Having captained his country for the first time in yesterday's ODI loss to Pakistan in his home city Perth, Inglis confirmed he will lead Australia throughout the upcoming three-match T20I series even though it overlaps with the Test squad's preparation for the opening Test against India.

Australia's squad for the start of the five-Test NRMA Insurance series against India will assemble in the Western Australia capital on Sunday, November 17, five days before the first Test begins at Perth Stadium.

On that same day, Inglis and his white-ball teammates will be in transit from Sydney where the second T20I against Pakistan will be played on November 16, to Hobart where the series finale takes place two days later.

It means he will only arrive in Perth three days prior opening Test, by which time he will not have faced or caught a red ball since his most recent Sheffield Shield appearance against Tasmania almost a month earlier.

But in outlining the rationale for Inglis's recall to the Test set-up as the auxiliary batter in the 13-man squad, national selection panel chair George Bailey cited the 29-year-old's capacity to shift seamlessly between the game's three formats.

"If you look back at the last couple of years, when he has come back to Shield cricket, it's quite often on the back of (a lot of) white-ball (cricket)," Bailey said yesterday.

"He hasn't had long bursts of Shield cricket.

"So I think his ability to bounce in and out of formats has been really impressive."

Inglis admitted the excitement of being included in Australia's Test squad took something of a back seat as he focused his attention on his captaincy debut in yesterday's ODI series decider.

In the aftermath of that game, a thumping eight-wicket win to Pakistan which earned them their first one-day trophy in Australia since 2002, he found the thrill of a Test call-up tempered by the disappointment of his team's defeat.

"I was thinking about this week more with the captaincy and not thinking too far ahead with Test stuff but I was really excited when Ronnie (men's team coach Andrew McDonald) called me and let me know," Inglis said yesterday.

"I'm just pumped to be there, to be honest.

"I'm really enjoying my red-ball cricket this year and I feel like I'm playing well in that form of the game."

That assessment was echoed by Bailey, who reaffirmed Inglis was in the Test squad because of his batting prowess rather than his skills as a wicketkeeper, his primary role in Australia's white-ball sides.

Incumbent Test gloveman Alex Carey remains in that position having enjoyed an equally productive start to the current Shield season, but Inglis' case for inclusion is undoubtedly compelling.

Inglis spent a brief Shield stint at number three for Western Australia in 2019 (when Shaun Marsh was on ODI duties) but returned to the middle-order after recording a pair against Tasmania in Hobart.

His breakthrough innings came at the start of the 2020-21 COVID-19 affected summer during the Shield hub in Adelaide, where he posted his maiden first-class century – 153no off 182 balls against South Australia at Karen Rolton Oval.

In the four years since then, only Cameron Green (64.83) has bettered Inglis's average of 57.83 (minimum 20 innings), while Cameron Bancroft (12) and Sam Whiteman (10) are the only others to boast more hundreds than his tally of seven.

And of potentially equal significance is the manner in which the England-born batter has scored his runs, at a rate of 78.8 per 100 balls faced, trumped only by NSW's Ollie Davies (79.7).

It's Inglis's attacking strokeplay coupled with the surety of his footwork and all-round scoring options against spin bowling that Bailey sees as an enticing prospect in challenging conditions such as next January's two-Test tour to Sri Lanka.

"Love his ability to put pressure back onto the opposition at the right times and drive the game forward," Bailey said.

"I certainly think he has a game that, at different times, could (be suited) in Asia.

"Clearly, this is just a batting position, there's no pressure on Kez (Carey).

"Kez has been in wonderful form too (but) if Josh gets an opportunity, really excited to see how he goes."

Inglis is not the only member of the first Test squad who has seen little red-ball cricket in recent weeks.

Middle-order duo Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh played just one and two Shield games respectively before undertaking paternity leave, and faced totals of 62 deliveries (Head) and 198 (Marsh) in those stints at the crease.

Steve Smith's only Shield outing before joining the ODI squad yielded scores of 3 and 0 for New South Wales, while Queensland pair Usman Khawaja (192 from five innings) and Marnus Labuschagne (144 from four) are yet to post substantial scores this summer.

But Bailey pointed out that experienced cohort understands the optimal lead-in to a tough Test series, and noted significant planning was put in place to ensure Head and Marsh would be match-ready come the start of the India campaign.

"They will sharpen their focus over the next week, as they prepare for that Test match," Bailey said of Australia's Test top order.

"Going into a Test summer with a heap of runs behind you, or no runs behind you, I'm not sure if that correlates (to success).

"I think once the Test match starts, all those guys have impressive records over a long period of time.

"They know how to prepare."

Australia v Pakistan limited-overs series 2024

Australia ODI squad: Pat Cummins (c - first two matches), Josh Inglis, (c - third match), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett (third match only), Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood (second match only), Spencer Johnson (third match only), Marnus Labuschagne (first two matches only), Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Josh Philippe (third match only), Matthew Short, Steve Smith (first two matches only), Mitchell Starc (first two matches only), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan ODI squad: Muhammad Rizwan, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi

November 4: Australia won by two wickets

November 8: Pakistan won by nine wickets

November 10: Pakistan won by eight wickets

Australia T20 squad: Josh Inglis (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan T20 squad: Muhammad Rizwan (c), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

November 14: Gabba, 7.00pm AEDT

November 16: SCG: 7.00pm AEDT

November 18: Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 7.00pm AEDT

All matches live and exclusive on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports