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. The final XI and batting order were not official. 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 Inglis could move to No. 4 to cause the least amount of disruption when Smith returns, Travis Head is unlikely to be moved from his preferred position at No. 5, and Cameron Green will likely stay at No. 3 despite twin failures in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, given that Smith is expected to return from injury 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.
He only batted at No. 4 once, scoring 44 runs in 2015, but he played six innings at No. 3 for WA in 2019 and scored 76 runs at 12.66. His greatest position in first-class cricket is number six, where he has four hundreds and averages over fifty, all while playing as a specialist wicketkeeper.
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.
Voges stated, "Obviously, you are batting down the order being a wicket-keeper." "A few years ago, we tried Josh further up the order, batting at three and keeping wickets, which is never easy.
We took that action because we believed he was capable of performing the function in theory. And I believe he is capable of doing that without possibly having to take on the gloves. And if you fast-forward to how the Test team looks during an Ashes summer, I believe these three Test matches are a fantastic opportunity for a variety of guys, including Josh, hopefully, who may play in that capacity."
Additionally, Voges did not favor Inglis replacing him; instead, he threw his weight behind another Western Australian, Green. Before batting at No. 3 in the WTC final, Green had only batted at that position once in first-class cricket. He now has three first-class cricket scores at number three: 15, 4, and 0.
He also averages 63.92 at number four, where he has six hundreds, including his 174 not out against New Zealand, and 67.58 at number five, where he has four hundreds. Among his three hundreds is a Test century he achieved at No. 6 against India at an average of 39.36.
Given that Green had just returned from a 15-month hiatus from playing Test cricket due to a back injury, Voges asked for patience with him.
The statement, "We know how talented Cameron is," came from Voges. "He missed the World Test Championship and is recovering from a lengthy layoff that included back surgery. The conditions in the West Indies will be very different. Additionally, he is a classy and good player who will recover."
Green is still recovering slowly from back surgery, so he is unable to bowl in the Caribbean. He started off bowling in the nets in England, but he was a batter-only in the WTC final and is still available in the Caribbean.
To be available as an all-rounder in the Ashes, it is hoped that he will bowl in Sheffield Shield cricket in October, although he is not scheduled to bowl in any format until then.
After a fantastic start to his Test career with the bat at No. 6, including leading Australia in scores in the first innings of the WTC final, it means Beau Webster will continue to be Australia's all-rounder in the Caribbean.
However, despite his medium speed in Test cricket, he has only claimed one wicket for 99 from 28 overs. To conclude the second Test in Sri Lanka, he did use his offspin to grab two tail-end wickets in two overs.
It is unclear what his role in the Caribbean will be and how well he performs on pitches that are probably going to be quite docile.