Josh Inglis has had encouraging news on his fractured right index finger and will fly to Gqeberha next week to rejoin Australia, with the second or third Test in South Africa the target.
ESPNcricinfo reported on Saturday 10 October 2026 that Josh Inglis will rejoin the Australia Test squad in South Africa next week. The wicketkeeper-batter has had positive news about the fractured finger that kept him out of the first Test in Durban, and the team will now look at him up close.
| At a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Player | Josh Inglis, 31, Australia wicketkeeper-batter |
| Injury | Fractured right index finger, suffered while keeping wicket in the ODI series opener in Durban |
| Return plan | Flies to Gqeberha next week to rejoin the Test squad and continue his recovery, with team officials assessing him in person |
| Series | Australia in South Africa, three Tests: Durban 9-13 October, Gqeberha 18-22 October, Cape Town 27-31 October |
| Durban context | Inglis would likely have played the first Test after Cameron Green was ruled out, and Nic Maddinson opened instead |
The injury and the positive news
Inglis broke his right index finger while keeping wicket in the opening ODI in Durban. He still went out at No. 6 and made 3 before he was dismissed, but the injury ended his ODI series and ruled him out of the first Test.
This week in Perth he received encouraging news on the finger. Rather than recover at home, he will travel to Gqeberha next week and rejoin the group there. The squad list already names him as available from the second Test onwards, so the trip fits the plan. Team officials will see how the finger copes before they decide whether he is ready for the second Test or the third.
His absence mattered in Durban. Inglis would probably have played the first Test once Cameron Green was ruled out with an abdominal strain picked up while batting in the third ODI in Potchefstroom. Green is also hopeful of coming back later in the tour.
What his return means in Gqeberha and Cape Town
Maddinson took the opening slot in Durban and was out for a 33-ball duck on Friday, though he still has the second innings to answer the criticism from former players. If Inglis or Green is fit again, Matt Renshaw would likely move back to open.
Renshaw batted at No. 5 in Durban and held the first innings together after Australia slipped to 6 for 124. He added 86 with Pat Cummins, and at stumps on day one Australia were 187 for 6, Renshaw unbeaten on 46 and Cummins on 33. He last batted at No. 5 regularly for Queensland in late 2021. Renshaw said: "It's just being pretty versatile and pretty open with what we need to do."
The selectors now have a genuine decision to make over the next two Tests, which are part of the World Test Championship cycle. A fit Inglis, and possibly Green later, would reshape both the top order and the middle order.
Read the full report on Cricinfo. Cricinfo.
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