Josh Inglis's Return Could Shake Up Australia's Test Plans

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-11

Josh Inglis is back with the Australia squad in Gqeberha, and his recovery from a fractured finger is ahead of schedule. The wicketkeeper-batter hasn't played since late last month when he got hurt during the ODI leg of the tour. Now, a recent scan showed encouraging progress, and he's cleared to link up with the team again. ### Inglis Injury Update and Recovery Progress Inglis broke his finger in the first ODI in Durban and flew back to Australia to have the injury assessed. He avoided surgery, which kept alive the possibility of a return to the tour. A recent scan showed encouraging progress, and that clears the way for him to link up with the squad again. Australia haven't confirmed whether he'll be fit for selection in the second Test. But his rejoining the group means the team management can monitor his condition closely over the coming days. ### How Australia Covered for Inglis in Durban Inglis was missing from the Test squad for the opening match, and Australia had to fill two spots as a result. He offers both wicketkeeping and batting cover, even though he's played all five of his Tests as a specialist batter. Sam Harper came in from the Australia A tour of India to take the back-up gloves role. Nic Maddinson also received a surprise recall. Head coach Andrew McDonald explained how the selectors viewed the situation. "It really turned into two players replacing Josh Inglis," he said. McDonald added that the flexibility Inglis provides led to Harper being picked as the reserve keeper, which in turn led to the call 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' Return Means for the Series Australia now have more options as the series moves to Gqeberha. Inglis could return to 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. So, what's next? Keep an eye on how Inglis pulls up in training. If he's fit, he could slot right back into the middle order, giving Australia some much-needed stability. But with Green's fitness still up in the air, the selectors have some tough calls to make. One thing's for sure: this series is far from over. Australia have the talent to bounce back, but they'll need to get their combinations right. And fast. For more cricket news and updates, follow JeetWin Blog!