Game time bringing results for versatile Inglis

Josh Inglis says he'd bat anywhere to play for Australia – as most people would – but the numbers say his most prolific spot in white-ball cricket is at the top.

Inglis yesterday peeled off his maiden List A hundred in Western Australia's second straight Marsh One-Day Cup triumph after being elevated to open the batting with D'Arcy Short omitted from a star-studded WA side.

It was the 28-year-old right hander's 14th match opening in the 50-format with his 514 runs making it his most productive batting position by aggregate, while his 266 at 53 in at No.5 is his best spot by average.

In T20 cricket opening is also his best position for total runs scored (1219 at 31 in 42 innings), with No.3, where he's batted six times in 97 T20 matches his top spot by innings average (49.25).

"I'll do what the team needs," said Inglis when asked what position he prefers most.

"There's pros and cons to both. You don't really get an opportunity to score hundreds if you're batting five or six.

"I think that's probably a reason why I have been picked in squads is that I can cover a number of different roles if asked upon and I really pride myself on that."

Inglis heads to India today for Australia's three-match ODI series in a rich vein of form – two of his last four innings have been hundreds after blitzing Tasmania for a near run-a-ball century on the opening day of a Marsh Sheffield Shield game on a tricky batting wicket in Hobart last month.

That was off the back of an outstanding KFC BBL campaign for the Perth Scorchers, finishing as the competition's third-highest run-scorer with 431 striking at 146.59, and with David Warner nursing a small hairline fracture in his left elbow, his opportunity could again be at the top of the order like it was for his most recent match for Australia last September against New Zealand in Cairns in Aaron Finch's final ODI.

Perhaps he has always been in such form, he just hasn't been able to show it having spent the better part of the previous two years on the road with an extended Australian squad during the pandemic but only making his international debut just over a year ago in February 2022 against Sri Lanka.

Inglis has played 27 games across all three formats this summer compared to 16 in the previous season.

"You can't fall back on anything if you're only hitting in the nets and you've got no game time and no exposure to that to that middle practice," said Inglis.

"It's been huge for me this season just getting game time in and it's the only way you learn really.

"If I get an opportunity over there (in India), it's nice that I've got that form to fall back on."

For Inglis, the messaging from Australia selectors has also been really clear and he travels to India for the three-match ODI series firmly entrenched as the nation's No.2 wicketkeeper behind Alex Carey in the Test and 50-over formats.

He was left in Australia during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series to continue to build that time in the middle, although he is also in their sights as a specialist batter having been on standby had the team been required another batter between the second and third Tests.

He doesn't know yet if they'll take two wicketkeepers to the World Test Championship final and the Ashes, but if his form is anything to go by, he might be there purely as a batter anyway.

Inglis is also trying to get over to England for another Hundred or Blast stint, and with he and partner Megan expecting their first child in early July, it promises to be a busy offseason for the right-hander.

"Whether I'm playing cricket over there already or I'm in the squad, it'd be great just to be getting some game time in," said Inglis.