Josh Inglis's Shock Return: What It Means for Australia's Test Hopes

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-11

Australia's Test squad is about to get a boost. Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis is on his way back to Gqeberha to rejoin the team as he recovers from a fractured finger. And yes, there's a real chance he could still play a part in the series against South Africa. Inglis has been out since late last month, when he injured his finger during the ODI leg of the tour. He broke it in the first ODI in Durban and flew back to Australia for assessment and recovery. The good news? He avoided surgery, which kept the door open for a return. A recent scan showed encouraging progress, and that's cleared the way for him to link up with the squad again. Australia hasn't confirmed whether he'll be fit for selection in the second Test. But having him back in the group means the team management can keep a close eye on his condition over the coming days. It's a waiting game, but at least the waiting is almost over. ### How Australia Covered for Inglis in Durban With Inglis missing the opening Test, Australia had to fill two spots. He offers both wicketkeeping and batting cover, even though all five of his Tests have come as a specialist batter. Sam Harper came in from the Australia A tour of India to take the back-up gloves role, and Nic Maddinson received a surprise recall. Head coach Andrew McDonald explained the selectors' thinking: "It really turned into two players replacing Josh Inglis." He added that Inglis's flexibility led to Harper being picked as the reserve keeper, which in turn opened the door for Maddinson. ### Australia's Batting Order and Cameron Green Concern The injuries forced Australia to rework their batting order for the first Test. Maddinson opened the innings in his first first-class match since March 2025. He fell for a duck off 33 balls on the opening day, the longest by an Australian opener in Tests. Matt Renshaw moved down to No. 5 and made a bigger impact. He steadied the innings after Australia slipped to 84 for 4 and later 124 for 6. Cameron Green has added to the selection questions. He sustained an abdominal injury in the final ODI in Potchefstroom and missed the Durban Test. Uncertainty remains over his availability for the second match, and McDonald said Green is unlikely to bowl as an allrounder at any stage of the series. ### What Inglis's Return Means for the Series Australia now have more options as the series moves to Gqeberha. Inglis could slot back into the middle order, while Harper stays on as the second wicketkeeping option. The final combination will depend on how Inglis responds in training and on the fitness reports for Green. South Africa lead the series after the first Test in Durban, and Australia need to settle their batting line-up quickly to stay in contention. The team management will announce its playing XI closer to the start of the second Test. For more cricket news and updates, follow JeetWin Blog!