Several candidates were considered for the role, and among them, someone with minimal leadership experience was selected. Josh Inglis will lead Australia in the T20 series against Pakistan. However, his captaincy journey will begin a bit earlier, as he will also captain the team in the final ODI match.
Australia had already announced their squad for this series. Regular captain Mitchell Marsh, along with Pat Cummins, Steven Smith, and a few others, were excluded from the team to prepare for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. At that time, it was said that the captain’s name would be announced later, and now it has been finalized. Inglis will become Australia’s 14th T20 captain.
The decision regarding the ODI captaincy came as a bit of a surprise. In the final match of the three-match series, regular captain Pat Cummins, along with Steven Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Marnus Labuschagne, will not be playing. They will skip this match to prepare for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are already absent from the entire series due to paternity leave and preparation for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. As a result, Inglis will captain the final ODI, making him Australia’s 30th ODI captain at the age of 29.
Experienced players like Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, Aaron Hardie, and Matthew Short were considered for the T20 captaincy, all of whom have captaincy experience in the Big Bash. Even Nathan Ellis has such experience. The most notable leadership experience for Inglis is captaining the Prime Minister’s XI in a warm-up match against the visiting West Indies in 2022. Last season, he was the vice-captain of the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash. However, Inglis is known in Australian cricket for his natural leadership qualities and tactical intelligence, as highlighted by Chief Selector George Bailey.
George Bailey said, “Josh is an integral part of our ODI and T20 teams. He has tremendous respect from everyone both on and off the field. He previously captained the Prime Minister’s XI, and in this role, he will bring tactical awareness and a positive mindset. On the field, he will also get all kinds of support from players like Matthew Short, Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell, and Marcus Stoinis.”
Australia leads the ODI series after winning the first match. The second match will take place in Adelaide on Friday, after which Cummins, Smith, and others will shift focus to their Test preparations. Inglis will toss the coin for the final ODI in Perth on Sunday. The three-match T20 series will begin on November 14.
