Josh Inglis ruled out of South Africa ODI series with fractured finger
Australia wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis has been ruled out of the final two one-day internationals against South Africa with a fractured right index finger, and is in doubt for the three-Test series starting on 9 October.
Australia wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis has been ruled out of the final two one-day internationals against South Africa with a fractured right index finger, Cricket Australia confirmed on Saturday.
The 31-year-old injured the finger while keeping wicket during South Africa’s 67-run win in the first ODI in Durban on Thursday. He played on through the pain, keeping for the rest of the innings and batting at No. 4 — making 3 from 8 balls before falling to a reverse sweep — before scans revealed the fracture.
No replacement has been named in the ODI squad, with Alex Carey expected to take the gloves for the second fixture of the series in Johannesburg on Sunday. Inglis will return to Perth for treatment, and his availability for the three-match Test series, which starts on 9 October, is “subject to further assessment and progress”, according to the Cricket Australia statement.
The injury is another cruel setback for Inglis, whose career has been punctuated by ill-timed blows — he missed the 2022 T20 World Cup after a golf club snapped in his hand. It comes at a particularly frustrating moment: he had appeared to cement his place as Australia’s No. 4 with a match-winning 102 against Zimbabwe in Harare last week, his second ODI hundred.
Carey is the immediate beneficiary, returning to the wicketkeeping role after losing his spot as a specialist batter this week when Cameron Green returned. The third ODI follows in Potchefstroom on Wednesday.
Sources
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