Josh Inglis has been ruled out of the remaining two ODIs against South Africa and is doubtful for next month’s three-match Test series after suffering a fractured right index finger in the first ODI in Durban.

Josh Inglis sustained the injury halfway through Australia’s fielding innings in that contest. He then batted, making three runs before being reverse swept by Bjorn Fortuin. Cricket Australia said that he will travel home for scans, with his Test availability pending further examination and progress.

Josh Inglis’ injury is a setback after finishing the last series against Zimbabwe in good form, earning his second ODI century in the final match in Harare.

What impact will Josh Inglis ‘ absence have on the ODI squad?

With Josh Inglis unavailable, Alex Carey will be recalled for the second one-day international on Sunday at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, where he will resume his one-day wicketkeeping duties. In recent encounters where both players were available, Inglis kept wicket and Carey fielded in the outfield.

Australia will be without a specialist reserve wicketkeeper for the Johannesburg match because there is insufficient time to fly in a substitute before Sunday. The selectors will take that risk in the second ODI before making a longer-term decision ahead of the third match.

If Josh Inglis does not recover in time, who may replace him in the Test squad?

Josh Inglis is in the Test squad as a backup batsman and wicketkeeper. He has played five Tests as a specialist batsman, hitting in places ranging from No. 4 to No. 7. He scored a century on debut against Sri Lanka in early 2025, but he has not reached 32 in his next six innings. If he does not recover in time for the Durban Test, Australia may need to consider flying in a substitute wicketkeeper to avoid leaving Carey without cover.

Carey has not missed a Test since his debut in the 2021-22 Ashes, and he played his 50th Test against Bangladesh in Mackay last month. Inglis did take over with the gloves in Jamaica last year when Carey suffered a concussion on the second day of the contest.

Josh Philippe and Sam Harper are the wicketkeepers for Australia A on their current tour of India. Philippe scored 14 and 7 in Australia A’s crushing defeat in the first four-day match. Harper had an outstanding 2025-26 season for Victoria, making a substantial contribution as an opener in the Sheffield Shield. No Australia A player scored more than fifty runs in that four-day match, with pace bowler Fergus O’Neill leading the way with 47, followed by Jason Sangha with 46 in the first innings.

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If the selectors decide not to call up a specialist reserve wicketkeeper or to add two players, Nathan McSweeney or Peter Handscomb, the leading Sheffield Shield run-scorer last season and a decent wicketkeeper, could be given a chance. The last time Australia called up a wicketkeeper other than Carey or Inglis to the Test team was in 2023, when Jimmy Peirson joined the Ashes tour to replace Inglis, who had returned home to give birth to his first child. The first round of the Sheffield Shield coincides with the opening Test in South Africa, limiting the number of eligible home players.

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