Discovered a Winning Formula: Global Reactions to Josh Inglis’ Remarkable Performance Against England

Josh Inglis’ remarkable century propelled Australia to a triumphant win over England in their opening match of the Champions Trophy, with many dubbing it one of the finest ODI innings in history.

Inglis and Alex Carey forged a formidable partnership, adding 146 runs for the fifth wicket in just under 20 overs, effectively dashing England’s hopes after they had earlier posted the highest total in tournament history.

Just two weeks after notching up his maiden Test century, Inglis became the fifth Australian – joining the ranks of Glenn Maxwell, Shane Watson, David Warner, and Beth Mooney – to achieve a century across all three formats of the game, finishing his innings on an impressive 120 not out, off just 86 deliveries.

Inglis showcased a blend of brutality and strategy in his innings. He struck his first ball for four runs but quickly found the ideal mix of aggressive play and measured patience from that point onwards.

When Australia was reduced to 4-136 shortly after he arrived at the crease, their chase hung in the balance until he and Carey set about their task.

Commentating on the match, former England captain Nasser Hussain lauded the Yorkshire native now representing Western Australia.

“Inglis was onto it from the very first ball, scoring a boundary to get off the mark. He’s arguably one of their most proficient players against spin, which is why he was selected,” Hussain remarked.

“The way he and Carey played together was phenomenal. It’s easy to panic when chasing 350 and push for runs too quickly, but they remained calm.

“They kept up with the required run rate, despite losing two wickets early and handled the pressure exceptionally well.

“That’s an outstanding victory, especially considering they managed to secure it without their top bowlers, limiting England to a sub-par total and winning quite comfortably.”

Inglis moved to Australia just before turning 15 and quickly immersed himself in the WACA development programme.

In a piece for The Guardian (UK), Ali Martin described Inglis’ innings as a “gut punch” for England and referred to the match overall as “the one that slipped away” for them.

Meanwhile, Tim Wigmore of The Telegraph (UK) noted that while Australia’s bowling arsenal was depleted, concerns remained regarding England’s bowling attack.

“Despite the buzz around England’s pace attack, Australia’s commanding win highlighted the limitations of a strategy heavily reliant on speed,” he observed.

“The trio of right-arm pace bowlers, mainly dependent on speed, particularly Wood and Carse, finished with combined figures of 3-226 over 26.3 overs, conceding an average of 8.5 runs per over.”

This defeat marks England’s fifth consecutive loss in ODIs, which now positions their forthcoming matches against Afghanistan and South Africa as must-win encounters.

Australia is set to face South Africa on Tuesday night (AEDT).