4th Test: Inglis Excluded from Border-Gavaskar Trophy Due to Calf Injury
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Melbourne, Dec 29 (NationPress) Australia’s wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis has been excluded from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series after enduring a calf injury while fielding in the current fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Inglis, who is also a reserve batter in the Test squad, was fulfilling substitute fielding duties along with spare bowler Sean Abbott, but he suffered a low-grade strain during the second day’s match. Cricket Australia (CA) has confirmed that Inglis has been released from the Test team in Melbourne.
“A replacement for the squad in the fifth Test match in Sydney will be announced shortly. Inglis is expected to be fit for Australia’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, which follows the domestic Test series. His participation in the Big Bash League will depend on the management plan for his return to play,” stated CA in their announcement.
The injury to Inglis poses a significant challenge for the Perth Scorchers, who are vying for their sixth BBL title. Inglis had participated in two of the Scorchers' first four matches against the Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Renegades as these games occurred in the interval between the third and fourth Tests in Brisbane and Melbourne respectively.
With Australia’s Test team set to undergo a pre-tour camp ahead of their journey to Sri Lanka, commencing with the first Test in Galle on January 29, Inglis is now in a race against the clock to regain fitness for this trip, which is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle.
Inglis’s absence for the forthcoming Sydney Test could potentially open a door for right-handed batter Nathan McSweeney to rejoin the squad. McSweeney, who primarily bats at number three and four, was dropped from the team when Australia gave a debut to teenage opener Sam Konstas during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
