‘Big balls’ Josh Inglis ready to deploy new strategy to dethrone Alex Carey as Test keeper

The Australian wicketkeeper-batter carved up Scotland over the weekend, posting the quickest Twenty20 international century by an Aussie man, and enters T20 and one-day series against England as the nation’s clear first-choice white-ball gloveman in both formats.

The diminutive West Australian has been starved of first-class opportunities in recent seasons because of regularly being a travelling reserve to Test ‘keeper Alex Carey and national team white-ball commitments.

But Inglis, who remains the next cab off the rank behind Carey in Test cricket, says he would be prepared to follow the lead of some of the English side by looking to score directly behind the wicket in the game’s longer formats, beginning with matches for WA in October at the start of the Shield season.

“You’ve got to have big balls,” Inglis says, laughing.

“I wouldn’t like to be on the receiving end of a spray for nicking off, reversing a ramp. But, yeah it’s situational. We’ve seen a lot of the guys from England start bringing it into Test cricket.

“I’ve done it a bit in Shield cricket when you’re chasing runs, when you’re on a few. But I’ve thought about it a bit when it’s seaming around and you’re trying to put the bowler back under pressure.

“There’s never really a third man back. So it’s definitely an option, but it’s not one I’ve taken too often.”

Inglis said his 360-degree approach to shotmaking came about because of necessity.

“I’m obviously not the biggest guy running around and can’t clear the road with ease like the big boys can,” he said.

“So I think it’s just been how I’ve been able to find my boundaries, and I feel like I’ve always been good at manoeuvring the field and sort of getting it to a position where I want it.

“I probably can’t just stand there and whack balls straight over the sight screen, ball after ball.

“If teams have to have their fine leg and third man back, that means those guys are up in the ring straight. So yeah, it’s just manoeuvring the field and getting it to a position where it can benefit me the most.”

Inglis will return to birth place Leeds for the second one-dayer against England later this month.

Though he was a tourist during last year’s Ashes, Inglis missed the second and third Tests of the series – at Lord’s and Headingley respectively – to fly home for the birth of his son Oscar.

It meant that his view of the dramatic Carey run out of Jonny Bairstow was like that of most Aussies – via television.

“I was there for the Test championship and then the first Test at Edgbaston. And then once that finished, I headed straight back. I think I had maybe a week before he was born. I had (the cricket) on the TV in the in the hospital after he was born, and sort of before when we were waiting around. So I was definitely watching. It might have been day one of the Test match he was born. I watched it in the hospital, and then I had a few beers that night with family, just to celebrate and I watched it in the pub for a bit. So it was cool.”

While Jimmy Peirson deputised for Inglis for those couple of Tests, Inglis headed back for the fourth and fifth matches of the series.

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“It was tough (having to head back to England). I think it was maybe only 10 days after he was born that I left, especially probably knowing you’re not going to play as well, it always makes it a bit harder. But no, I had a job to do, and I had to be over there to be ready just in case I got the opportunity. But any time you’re travelling for Australia it’s always a great privilege.I was pretty happy to go over.”

And while it was hard to leave at the time, Inglis has been able to bring Oscar and partner Megan with him for much of the year since.

“They did the whole of South Africa, into India, into the World Cup. So that was three and a bit months. And then they’ve done the (T20) World Cup (in the West Indies) and then (Major League Cricket in the US). So I think we’re just going to do it as much as we can while he’s young, and it’s a bit easier. And then when you start paying for flights when they’re two, that’s when we might knock it on the head I reckon.”