Josh Inglis will assume the captaincy role following the conclusion of the second ODI at Adelaide and will lead the Men in Yellow in the third ODI as well as the forthcoming T20I series against Pakistan which is expected to commence on November 14. He will lead the side in the absence of premium stalwarts such as Mitch Marsh and Travis Head who are both unavailable due to paternity leave and Test preparation. 

In addition, Australia's Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins and vice-captain Steve Smith will also not be available to feature for the remainder of the series in order to prepare for the grueling Border Gavaskar Test series. 

Inglis to lead a whole new-look Australia squad 

Following his captaincy appointment, Inglis becomes the 14th T20I captain and the 30th ODI captain to lead Australia. He will have his work cut out as his side will be without the services of experienced Cummins, Smith, Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Marnus Labuschagne, all of whom will be away to prepare for the much-awaited Border Gavaskar Test series. 

The squad will feature some fresh faces in the form of Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, and Josh Philippe who have made limited yet impactful international appearances for Australia in recent times. Moreover, Lance Morris has also been included as a cover for Josh Hazlewood and is likely to feature in the last ODI of the three-match series. 

Dissecting Inglis' captaincy background

Unlike his teammates Matt Short, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, and Nathan Ellis, Inglis does not have any credible captaincy experience under his belt. The 29-year-old does not have any captaincy experience at the BBL level unlike some of his fellow teammates. But the flamboyant wicket-keeper batter is widely renowned for his leadership qualities and his tactical instinct at the domestic level.  

Inglis served as the vice-captain for the Perth Scorchers during the previous season and played a significant role within their leadership team. He was a leading candidate to assume the captaincy following Ashton Turner's season-ending injury. However, Aaron Hardie was ultimately selected for the position. This decision was primarily influenced by a preference to avoid appointing a wicketkeeper as captain, particularly given the time constraints faced by the younger bowlers.

In the ongoing three-match ODI series, Australia have taken an early 1-0 lead following a nervy win at the MCG. The hosts will once again lock horns with the visitors in the second ODI at Adelaide where they will look to wrap up the series in one of the most clinical ways possible. 

See also: ICC WTC 2023-25: A saga of strange wins and shocking defeats

After a record-breaking victory in a three-match T20I series opener against the hosts Scotland, Australia claimed another solid win in the second game to secure the T20I series by 2-0. Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis created some great records with his century in the second match of the series. 

Hosts Scotland chose to field first after winning the toss. Although the Aussie openers Jake Fraser-McGurk (11) and Travis Head (0) were dismissed cheaply, the no.3 wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis took charge of the innings. With the help of three fours and four sixes, Inglis completed fifty in just 20 balls. 

Inglis had a 92-run partnership for the third wicket, where Green scored 36 off 29 balls (two fours and two sixes) before Chris Sole took his wicket. 

SEE ALSO: Musheer-Navdeep set Duleep Trophy partnership record

Josh Inglis slammed a 43-ball century

Inglis had another 64-run partnership with Marcus Stoinis for the fourth wicket. Inglis completed his second T20I century in 43 balls. Before his dismissal in the 19th over, Inglis scored 103 off 49 balls with the help of seven fours and seven sixes.

Stoinis was not out on run-a-ball 20 runs, and Tim David scored 17 not out off seven balls, as Australia scored 196/4 in 20 overs. Scotland bowler Brad Currie picked up three wickets (3/37) in that innings. 

Australia won by 70 runs

In reply, Scotland were all out for 126 runs in 16.4 overs, as Australia won by 70 runs. Only Brandon McMullen (59 off 42 balls; four fours and four sixes) and the opener George Munsey (19) reached double-digit figures in that innings, while the Aussie bowlers spent 14 extras. 

All six Aussie bowlers picked up at least one wicket in the match. However, Marcus Stoinis (4/23) and Cameron Green (2/16) had more than one wicket in that innings.

Josh Inglis set following records with his latest T20I century

• First Australian wicketkeeper-batter to score a T20I hundred

Josh Inglis became the first Australian wicketkeeper to record a T20I century. The previous highest T20I score by an Australian wicketkeeper-batter was 80 runs by Matthew Wade against India during the 2020 Sydney T20I. 

• Third Aussie batter to score multiple T20I centuries

After Glenn Maxwell (five centuries) and Aaron Finch (two centuries), Inglis became the third Australian cricketer to record more than one T20I century. It was his second T20I hundred, while his first T20I century was not as a wicketkeeper-batter (110 vs India in the 2023 Visakhapatnam T20I). 

• Joint fastest T20I century by a wicketkeeper-batter

With his 43-ball hundred, Inglis recorded the joint fastest T20I century as a wicketkeeper-batter. Previously, during the 2023 Centurion T20I, South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock recorded a 43-ball century against the West Indies. 

• Fastest T20I hundred by an Australian batter

Meanwhile, Inglis’ 43-ball century set a new record for the fastest T20I century by an Australian batter. The previous record was 47-ball hundreds by three Aussie batters, including one from Josh Inglis. 

Fastest T20I centuries by Australian batters

Australia has a three-way race for one spot in the T20 World Cup. Up until last year, Matthew Wade was the one for the spot. Matthew Wade though has made a remarkable return. From thinking the last World Cup would be his last time representing Australia to leading them a year later in India, he has kept himself relevant.

Alex Carey is another one who is in and around the discussion. He has been in good touch over the last few years in the Big Bash League and is a regular in Tests. In white-ball cricket, he was a regular until Josh Inglis took his spot after a game in the World Cup.

Josh Inglis though looks like a frontrunner. In the first T20, bowlers were left scratching their heads while bowling to him. He looked very clean and fluent with his stroke play. With inventive stroke play, he kept the bowlers thinking and confused. In the first T20, after opening his account with a textbook cover drive, Inglis was quick to pick his bowlers and attacked his way through to a strong century.

See Also: Rachin Ravindra Living the Dream – Cricket Winner

His numbers in the BBL too have been pretty solid in the last few years. Unlike Carey, his numbers came in the middle-order, which adds to his fortunes considering Australia is likely to use their wicket-keepers lower in the order, primarily as finishers.

From Inglis though it was complete domination against India. The bowlers had no answers for him and he made it a point to convert his start, something he struggled to do two years ago.

Back in 2021, he missed a spot in the Test side when Alex Carey took Tim Paine’s spot. A year later, he was meant to be in the side for the T20 World Cup until a freak injury ruled him out. In the 2023 World Cup though an upward curve seems to have gotten underway.

He succeeded straightaway against Sri Lanka. In the remaining games though, Jos Inglis was around but did not have too much of a noticeable impact. An under-rated moment though remains his contribution in the Semi-Finals as he guided them close to the target.

In the T20 side, Josh Inglis has replaced Matthew Wade, barring this series with Wade as captain. Wade though still remains in and around as does Carey. Inglis though, with a solid performance to start with is showing that he is the one for the job.

Steven Smith

Steven Smith, an all time great for Australia, has been in doubt for the T20I side in recent times. With Smith lacking fire-power and considering Mitchell Marsh’s success at number three, Steve Smith was phased out for Tim David, in a bid to add more fire power. In four games at the BBL so far though, Steve Smith has added another point to the debate over his spot in the T20 side. As an opener, he came in for four games, and is the ninth leading run-scorer in the current season, with them most sixes in the tournament and two centuries. He now gave himself a case to make the squad as an opener, and could find himself back with Aaron Finch’s future in the Australian team uncertain.

Matthew Short

Matthew Short from the Adelaide Strikers had his moments in the tournament. With Chris Lynn as his partner, he held his own and also provided one of the best knocks in the BBL with a century to chase down 230. His style of play makes him an asset in T20 Cricket. As an opener he does not take too long to get underway. With the ball too, Matthew Short is very handy. He can chip in with a few overs, and is very useful in the powerplay. On the field too, Short has taken some sharp catches, and with leadership credentials to add too, he has enough on his resume to be considered by the selectors.

See Also: Can Marnus Labuschagne Handle India’s Trial By Spin? – Cricket Winner

Aaron Hardie

Aaron Hardie came into this season on the back of some incredible performances in the Sheffield Shield. He has been a part of the Perth Scorchers for a while and finally got a decent run in the eleven. Replacing Mitchell Marsh, Aaron Hardie started at 6, and performed very well. He was promoted to three later on and continued his good season. Due to injury concerns, he did not bowl too much, but can be a handy bowler on his day.

Josh Inglis

Josh Inglis is another talent who has been on the Australian team fringes for a long time. He missed out on the T20 World Cup with a freakish injury but came back quickly to prove his worth as a middle-order batter. He can open the batting, come up with flashy shots in the middle-order and is a very good wicket-keeper, making him a really good candidate for the wicket-keeper spot after Matthew Wade retires.

Sean Abbott

Sean Abbott is a BBL Champion. He has some incredible numbers in the tournament but always ends up behind the pecking order when it comes to the Australian team. He is still on and around the fringes for the white-ball side, and this season has been as good as any for him. With the big three likely to have their workload managed, Sean Abbott could finally see opportunities come his way in the coming days.

Paddy Dooley

Paddy Dooley with his unique action and leg-spin became a surprise trump card for the Hobart Hurricanes. With 19 wickets in 10 games, he became their go to bowler and is now a massive option for the T20 World Cup which will be played in the West Indies, where the pitches are known to be slow and low.