BAN vs AUS 2026: ‘I haven’t looked that far ahead’ – Josh Inglis on ODI captaincy prospects

Australian stand-in captain Josh Inglis admitted that the absence of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head from the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh is unfortunate. However, he believes their withdrawal will create valuable opportunities for other players in the squad to step up and make an impact.

Marsh and Head were initially expected to feature in Australia’s squad for the series but pulled out shortly before the tour, resulting in Inglis being handed the captaincy responsibilities. Despite the added leadership role, Inglis stressed that he is not looking too far ahead and remains focused on the immediate challenge of leading the side in Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter also highlighted the depth within Australian cricket, expressing confidence that the players coming into the squad can seize their chance and contribute positively during the series.

“I wouldn’t say that (expecting to lead the ODI squad after the World Cup). I haven’t looked that far ahead to be honest. Obviously there’s guys missing and I’ll step in when I need to, but I’m really proud to be able to sit here and captain my country over the course of these last few series. It’s really special for me (to lead the side) and it’s nice. We have got a relatively inexperienced group and I think that’s pretty fun. It’s a lot of fun for these guys coming and playing in different conditions. I’m just trying to take all the experience in and just grow,” said Inglis as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“I think anytime you take Mitch Marsh and Travis Head out of the team, you lose something. They’re both incredibly good players. It’s unfortunate that they’re not here, but similarly with the Pakistan series we’ve just had, I think it’s really important that a few younger guys are getting some experience in these conditions. Obviously, there’s a World Cup on the horizon as well, so to be able to look at some different combinations and some different guys before then, I think is really important,” he added.

Speaking ahead of the ODI series, Inglis acknowledged the threat posed by Bangladesh pace sensation Nahid Rana, describing him as a challenging bowler whom Australia will need to prepare for carefully. Inglis also revealed that Australia’s team combination will be finalised only after a thorough assessment of the pitch conditions. He noted that the surfaces in Bangladesh are expected to be significantly different from those encountered in Pakistan, making adaptability a key factor for the visitors.

“What’s my take on Nahid Rana? I haven’t seen a hell of a lot of him, but what I have seen, he looks like a really good bowler, a really exciting prospect. He’s tall and he bowls fast, so it’s a pretty nice combination to have. He’s going to be really tough work for us all. It’s very exciting. We don’t play Bangladesh very often, especially over here in Bangladesh. So, it’s my first time here and I know it’s the same for a lot of the other guys too. We’re incredibly excited about this series. We haven’t named a team yet, so we’re going to have a look at the wicket today and you’ll see that tomorrow,” said Inglis.

“I think the lessons we’ve learned (in Pakistan) are just about adapting to conditions. I think we’re going to get different conditions here in Bangladesh, but I think it’s just being really clear about your game plan, how you want to go about it, and then just doing it for longer and longer. I think the guys that had some success did it reasonably well, but we want to do it for longer and longer and get those really big scores,” he added.

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