Josh Inglis appears to be the man set to replace Usman Khawaja in the second Ashes Test, after he was spotted in a very telling clue during an Aussie training session on Tuesday night. And England have pulled a bit of a surprise by selecting spinning all-rounder Will Jacks for his first Test match in three years.
Khawaja was ruled out of the second Test on Tuesday afternoon, succumbing to the back injury that hampered him in Perth. He won’t be replaced in the 15-player squad, meaning Travis Head will most likely remain at the top of the batting order.
Josh Inglis was spotted training at third slip with Beau Webster not in the cordon (L), while Will Jacks (second from right) has been picked by England. Image: Daniel Cherny/Getty
That means one of Inglis or Beau Webster will slot into the middle order, and it looks like Inglis has got the nod. Inglis was seen training at third slip on Tuesday night in a new-look cordon, while Webster was doing some different drills nearby.
Cricket journalist Bharat Sundaresan was among a number of reporters to capture the new slips cordon doing some catching practice, with Marnus Labuschagne shifting from third slip to first to replace Khawaja. Steve Smith remained in his usual spot at second slip, with Inglis beside him at third and Cameron Green in the gully.
Scott Boland says Travis Head will stay at top of order
It was a very telling clue that Inglis will return to the Test XI after a memorable century on debut in Sri Lanka earlier this year. If the Aussies were planning to go with Webster, the Tasmanian probably would have been training where Inglis was instead.
Josh Inglis (L) appears the man likely to replace Usman Khawaja (centre). (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Speaking after the session, Scott Boland said he felt for Khawaja and all-but confirmed Head would stay at the top of the order after his stunning century in the second innings in Perth. “(Khawaja) has put in a lot of work since the last game to try and get his body right, but he hasn’t come up, unfortunately,” Boland said.
“I’m not sure about the middle order but I would probably expect Trav to open with the make-up of our squad. The best thing about our team over the past few years is that when someone has come out (of the squad) due to injury or form, someone else has always stood up. I think Trav did that last week. We’ve got huge depth in our squad so we can sort of replace anyone if we need to.”
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Meanwhile, England have also been forced into a change for the second Test, with Jacks replacing injured seamer Mark Wood. Cricket fans are divided on Jacks’ selection, with the spinning all-rounder set to play his first Test match in three years.
Will Jacks will play his first Test match since 2022. (Photo by Robbie Stephenson/PA Images via Getty Images)
But Michael Vaughan, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain have all backed the move. “This is not an attacking move. It is designed to give more depth to the batting while not selecting Shoaib Bashir, the front-line spinner they have invested so much in over the last two years with this tour in mind,” Vaughan wrote in The Guardian.
“That is not to say I think it is the wrong call. I think they’ve got it right, and this is their best chance of winning here. The batting malfunctioned in Perth, and the extra depth provided by Jacks at No.8 will help.”
Atherton said on Sky Sports: “I am not that surprised and I think it is probably the right call. It feels like a very pragmatic, strategic choice for this day-night, pink-ball game.
“Jacks was a little bit of a left-field pick in the squad initially as he has only played a couple of Tests, but I think they had their eye on this match. It has been quite hot in Brisbane and they don’t necessarily want five seamers as the word is that the pink ball has been going quite soft after 20 or 30 overs.”