Inglis sinks old country with a little help from his skipper

Josh Inglis revealed his finest moment in an Australian shirt, coming against the country he grew up in, was a product of Steve Smith's shrewd strategising in Australia's Champions Trophy opener against England.

Less than a month after his century on Test debut against Sri Lanka, Inglis vindicated Smith's brave move to bowl first on a Lahore highway with his maiden ODI hundred helping to pull off the Aussies' second biggest run-chase ever in the format.

The reigning ODI champions, missing seven members of the squad that lifted the World Cup Trophy 15 months ago in India, had taken note of how wet and skiddy the Gaddafi Stadium became under lights during their training sessions leading into the match.

"I think 350 is a big total in any one-day game – but we trained here at night for the last couple of days and it got really dewy around 7.30 - 8 o'clock," Inglis told reporters after his 86-ball 120no helped overhaul England's 8-351.

"So we sort of knew that was in our favour during the run chase and if we could take it deep enough, it would be tough for the bowlers at the back end.

"It made life easier for us, the wicket skidded on beautifully and it really helped our run chase."

Smith had flagged to cricket.com.au earlier this week of the expected significance of dew at the Lahore ground Australia play two of their three group-stage matches at.

It meant that his troops remained cool even as Ben Duckett's 165 fired England to the biggest Champions Trophy total ever.  

The Aussie skipper suggested keeping their opponents under 400 was an achievement after they reached 2-200 with 20 overs to go.

"We would have bowled first regardless, given how wet it got in training," Smith told the host broadcaster after England captain Jos Buttler earlier admitted he was "50-50" on what he would have done at the toss.

"It slowed up in the first innings and we thought 350 was chaseable. Looked like they'd get 400 but we trusted each other's skills, took pace off at the right times, hit hard lengths."

Still, it took an innings of class from Inglis to get Australia home with 15 balls to spare given their two leading ODI run-getters between the 2023 World Cup and last night's match (Smith and Travis Head) were both out for single digits inside the first 25 balls of their innings.

After Short (63 off 66 balls) posted his highest ODI score in 14 games in a 95-run partnership with Marnus Labuschagne (47 off 45), Inglis teamed up with the man he dislodged as Australia's ODI gloveman in 2023, Alex Carey (69 off 63), for a rollicking 146-run stand off just 116 balls.

Glenn Maxwell (32 from 15) helped finish off the job.

Inglis and Carey have jostled for the gloves in both Test and ODI cricket over the past few years, but the hot form of the two keepers has made a compelling case for them both to be first-choice players in both formats on their batting alone.

Carey's three catches in the outfield on Saturday – the first a stunning one-handed overhead grab, a reminder of the star former junior Australian rules midfielder's athleticism – only added to it.

"I think firstly the partnership between Shorty and Marnus was really important. They set the platform there, got us off to a good start. We were in and around the run rate to start off with," said Inglis.

"Then me and Carey, we didn't really say too much out there. Carey is pretty quiet when he's batting.

"I just tried to not look at the scoreboard too much, look at the run rate, just keep batting the way we were going.

"We knew if we could get close enough with Maxi still to come – we've just seen what Maxi can do and everyone's seen it for a while now.

"To get close enough for him to be able to explode like that at the back end was probably in the back of our thoughts."

Inglis downplayed the significance of his heritage – he was born in Leeds, moved to Australia when he was 14 and still intently follows Coventry City's football results – in what was arguably his most important international innings.

"I don't know if Josh still has an English passport, but he's not going anywhere!" quipped Smith.

Either way, it underlined the right-hander's immense potential as an all-format international star.

He is only the fourth Australian to post centuries in all three formats, and has done so in far fewer innings (56) than the others; Maxwell (107), Shane Watson (328) and David Warner (332).

"I think it's really special. It doesn't matter who it's against," Inglis said of his knock against England.

"It's a really tight, quick tournament. We knew how we started the World Cup in India and we weren't able to (start well), we know we're not able to work (our) way into this tournament.

"You've got to be right on it from the first game. I think that's probably the most pleasing thing, to get a win on the board in game one."

Australia play South Africa in Rawalpindi on Tuesday after the Proteas also began their Champions Trophy campaign successfully, beating Afghanistan who the Aussies face back in Lahore later this week.

2025 ICC Men's Champions Trophy

Broadcast exclusively on Prime Video in Australia. Sign up here for a 30-day free trial

Australia's Group B fixtures

February 22: defeated England by five wickets (15 balls remaining)

February 25: Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi (8pm AEDT)

February 28: Afghanistan v Australia, Lahore (8pm AEDT)

March 4: Semi-final 1, Dubai (8pm AEDT)

March 5: Semi-final 2, Lahore (8pm AEDT)

March 9: Final, Lahore or Dubai (8pm AEDT)

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly