‘What we needed’: Perennial back-up’s 9am shock becomes masterclass as crucial chance seized

Creating a masterpiece from a potential crisis, Josh Inglis has given Australia some assuredness that there will be life after Steve Smith in coming years when making a superb century in Cape Town on Thursday morning.

The 31-year-old only learned he would be playing in this match at 8:45am on match morning, when Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey dashed from the Newlands nets to tap him on the shoulder and tell him to start preparing for his sixth Test.

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Resuming on 85, the Western Australia continued his excellent innings and brought up his second Test century when reverse sweeping Proteas off-spinner Simon Harmer for a boundary just over 40 minutes after play started on the third day.

He was out shortly after to the veteran spinner for 102 when edging to wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton, but Inglis has thrust himself forward as a near certainty to feature against New Zealand when joining Matthew Renshaw and Travis Head as centurions on this tour.

It had been a difficult month for Inglis, who badly injured a finger in a one-day international last month and returned home to Perth, only to rejoin the team towards the tail-end of the Durban Test before proving his fitness in the nets in Gqeberha.

But the reserve wicketkeeper to Alex Carey, who he partnered with brilliantly in the final session on Wednesday when steering Australia from a tricky position after the tourists lost two wickets in quick succession to a position of strength early on Day 3.

While the pitch in Cape Town has few demons, it is the manner with which Inglis has grasped the opportunity that presented when Smith withdrew with a neck injury and then handled South Africa’s strong attack that has been most impressive.

He showed resilience early against an attack featuring the new world No.1 ranked Test bowler Marco Jansen and superstar Kagiso Rabada, though both have been less potent to date in this match, and used his feet well against Harmer until being deceived.

With Marnus Labuschagne highly unlikely to hold his position after his struggles on this tour, Kayo Sports expert analyst Kerry O’Keeffe said that Inglis shaped as a potential No.3 for the Aussies over the summer.

His capacity to handle spin bowling, demonstrated when he made a century on debut against Sri Lanka in Galle in February, 2025, and against Harmer until losing his wicket is also a positive for Australia given the tour of India coming up early next year.

Smith, who injured his neck in Gqeberha in what has been a testing tour for the veteran, said in September that he is a series-by-series proposition though Cricket Australia said he will be fit for the series against New Zealand.

But with a vacancy to be filled if Labuschagne is sent back to the Sheffield Shield, Inglis confirmed why the Australians have been choosing him in squads as the reserve for the past couple of years with a poised performance.

Renshaw said the manner with which Inglis batted when coming to the crease with Australia under pressure was impressive.

“He’s a very talented player. We’ve seen that across a lot of the white ball formats,” he said.

“But ... to sort of come in (when) we’re under a little bit of pressure, having lost two quick wickets, and the way that he played was really positive ... and I think it was really what we needed at that time.”

Inglis had not played in a red ball match since March but Renshaw said he had worked extremely hard in the nets as a reserve batsman/wicketkeeper for both the Bangladesh series and in South Africa from the moment he rejoined the squad.

The Queenslander said he was not surprised the Cameron Green, who also returned from injury with a fine 65, and Inglis had excelled despite being short of match fitness.

“I think obviously they’ve been working hard,” he said.

“They’ve played the white ball series beforehand. Obviously, coming back from injury, there’s a lot of things they have to tick off, so it wasn’t like they came in with nothing (here).

“They’ve been doing a lot of training, a lot of stuff behind the scenes, but I think those two, when they’re at the ages they are, obviously Josh is in his 30s and Cam has played a lot of cricket now ... (and) as you saw, they’ve been really important innings.”