Adam Voges believes Inglis will succeed as a top-4 batter as he will get a chance in the upcoming WI series.
Josh Inglis may bat at number four in Australia’s redesigned top order for the first Test match in the Caribbean. Despite his lack of first-class cricket experience, Josh Inglis’ Western Australia (WA) coach Adam Voges thinks the wicketkeeper-batter is more than capable of making it to the top four at Test level.
Following Cricket Australia’s unprecedented announcement that Marnus Labuschagne had been dropped five days out of the match and that Steven Smith would miss it due to injury, Inglis was assured of starting the first Test match against the West Indies in Barbados starting next Wednesday.
Sam Konstas and Inglis were picked as the straight replacements. Neither the final XI nor the batting order were verified. After going through five different opening combinations in the previous 12 Test matches, Australia’s selectors have publicly expressed their desire to settle on an opening combination for the West Indies tour and the Ashes, and Konstas appears to be joining Usman Khawaja.
While Travis Head is unlikely to be moved from his preferred position at No. 5, Cameron Green is likely to stay at No. 3 despite his failures in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, and Inglis may move to No. 4 to cause the least amount of disruption when Smith returns for the second Test in Grenada.
The 30-year-old Inglis, who made his Test debut in Sri Lanka batting at No. 5, has been among the world’s most prolific players this season across all formats. However, he had only previously made one fifty in five innings at No. 5, therefore this was his first first-class century there. At No. 3 and No. 4, he has even less experience.
Voges said that the right-hander has the technique and temperament to handle batting No. 3 or No. 4 in Test cricket when speaking at the BBL draft in Melbourne on Thursday, the day before Inglis’ comeback to the Test XI was officially announced.
“Obviously being a wicket-keeper you’re generally batting down the order,” Voges said. “We did trial Josh up the order a few years ago, batting at three and wicketkeeping, which is always difficult thing to do.
“We did that because we felt technically he’s good enough to play that role and be able to do it. And I think without potentially the burden of having to take the gloves I think it’s a role he can fill. And I guess if you fast forward to what does the Test team looks over the course of an Ashes summer, I think these three Tests is a great audition for a number of players, and certainly hopefully for Josh, potentially in that role.”