Josh Inglis has been sidelined from Australia’s upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand due to a calf strain, with Alex Carey called in as his replacement.
The injury occurred after Inglis pulled up sore during a running session in Perth earlier this week. Scans confirmed the damage, forcing him out of the series scheduled for October 1, 3, and 4 at Mount Maunganui.
“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔, 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔.”
Selection Headache for Australia
Inglis’ withdrawal adds to Australia’s growing list of absentees. Pat Cummins is out with lumbar bone stress, Cameron Green has been kept at home for Sheffield Shield cricket, and Nathan Ellis is unavailable due to family reasons.
The selectors had initially taken a risk by not naming a backup wicketkeeper in the squad, leaving Carey to step in at short notice. Carey was preparing for Sheffield Shield duty with South Australia but will now travel across the Tasman.
Carey’s Return to T20I Fold
Carey’s re-emergence in the T20 format has been unexpected. Despite a modest record in the shortest format, he filled in for Inglis earlier this year against South Africa in Cairns, marking his first T20I appearance since 2021.
“𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒚’𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔’ 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂’𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉.”
World Cup Concerns Loom
Inglis’ persistent back and calf problems raise long-term questions for Australia’s plans ahead of the next T20 World Cup. With ICC rules restricting squads to 15 players, carrying a backup wicketkeeper could mean sacrificing a specialist bowler or allrounder.
The injury also exposes a larger dilemma: Inglis has become a key part of Australia’s T20 batting order, bridging the gap between the openers and middle-order power hitters. Replacing his explosiveness won’t be easy.
Australia’s squad for the New Zealand series remains:
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
Also Read: Georgia Adams Century Powers Hampshire into One-Day Cup Final
