Australia's Gamble: Josh Inglis Returns to Squad for Second Test

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Josh Inglis rejoins Australia's squad in Gqeberha after a fractured finger, boosting hopes for the second Test against South Africa. His return adds flexibility, but Cameron Green's fitness remains a concern.

Australia's hopes of leveling the Test series against South Africa have received a boost with wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis rejoining the squad in Gqeberha. Inglis has been sidelined since late last month with a fractured finger, but recent scans show promising progress. ### Injury Update: Inglis on the Mend Inglis broke his finger during the first ODI in Durban and flew back to Australia for assessment. He avoided surgery, keeping his tour hopes alive. A recent scan revealed encouraging healing, allowing him to link up with the team again. However, his availability for the second Test remains uncertain. The team management will monitor his condition closely in the coming days before making a call. ### How Australia Coped Without Inglis Inglis's absence left a significant hole in the lineup. He offers both wicketkeeping and batting cover, though all five of his Tests have come as a specialist batter. To fill the void, Australia called up Sam Harper from the Australia A tour of India as the backup keeper and handed a surprise recall to Nic Maddinson. Head coach Andrew McDonald explained the selectors' thinking: "It really turned into two players replacing Josh Inglis." He noted that Inglis's flexibility forced the team to pick a reserve keeper, which in turn opened the door for Maddinson. ### Batting Order Shuffle and Green's Fitness Concern The first Test saw Australia rework their batting order. Maddinson opened the innings in his first first-class match since March 2025 but fell for a duck off 33 balls – the longest duck by an Australian opener in Tests. Matt Renshaw moved down to No. 5 and steadied the ship after early collapses. Adding to the selection headache, Cameron Green is battling an abdominal injury sustained in the final ODI. He missed the Durban Test and remains doubtful for the second. McDonald indicated Green is unlikely to bowl as an allrounder at any point in the series. ### What Inglis's Return Means for the Series With Inglis back, Australia have more options. He could slot into the middle order, while Harper remains the second wicketkeeping option. The final XI will depend on Inglis's training response and Green's fitness. South Africa lead the series after the first Test, and Australia need to settle their batting lineup quickly to stay in contention. The team management will announce their playing XI closer to the start of the second Test. For more cricket news and updates, stay tuned.

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