English passport? Smith jokes Inglis is going nowhere

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English passport? Smith jokes Inglis is going nowhere

Having taken his exceptional talent all the way from Yorkshire to Australia, Josh Inglis has ended up making his old home country suffer – leaving Steve Smith to laugh there’s no way England are getting him back.

After the Perth batter’s sublime unbeaten, matchwinning 120 steered Australia to the perfect flying start with a five-wicket win over England in their Champions Trophy opener in Lahore on Saturday, the subject of the 29-year-old’s Leeds roots inevitably reared its head again.

While the likes of former England captains Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain had mused a mite wistfully in the commentary box about the one who got away, Aussie skipper Smith just wanted to make sure everyone knew the 29-year-old had green-and-gold running through him.

“I don’t know if Josh still has an English passport,” mused a smiling Smith. “But he’s not going anywhere!”

It’s been an extraordinary breakthrough month for the late-blooming Inglis, who’ll be turning 30 in a couple of weeks.

Just over three weeks ago, he recorded his first Test century in Sri Lanka, watched by his parents Martin and Sarah, who had moved the family to West Australia from Leeds when Josh was approaching his 15th birthday.

Inglis wasn’t about to deny it was a “special” moment to now have scored a century for Australia in all three international formats but, with messages coming in from family members back in England, he also wasn’t going to rub it in about the occasion being extra-special against the side he grew up supporting.

How much of an England fan did he feel now, Inglis was asked. “Yeah, those days are long gone, I think,” he smiled.

“I’m over the moon. It was really special. Under the circumstances, in an ICC event, you want to have an impact and win a game.

“Look, I think it’s really special. It doesn’t matter who it’s against. It’s a really tight, quick tournament.

“We weren’t able to work our way into this tournament. You’ve got to be right on it from the first game, so I think that’s probably the most pleasing thing, to get a win on the board in game one.”

His knock off just 86 ******, which included eight fours and six sixes, enabled Australia to rack up the highest-ever Champions Trophy total in their chase as they made 5-356 in 47.3 overs. Indeed, it was highest successful run chase in any ICC one-day international tournament.

As he watched Inglis link up for a key 146-run partnership with Alex Carey, the man with whom he’s been battling for the wicketkeeping gloves, after Australia had slumped to 4-136, captain Smith noted admiringly: “They’ve been been batting beautifully, in great form.

“Josh didn’t get out of second gear, shots all round the ground.”

Even opposition captain Jos Buttler had to concede: “Sometimes you’ve just got to credit the opposition. I thought Josh Inglis played a fantastic innings.”

His Australia teammates have enjoyed ribbing Inglis before about his English background, and it’s probably fair to say it would have been a bit unusual if anyone else in their dressing room had been desperate to learn the Coventry City soccer score in the English Championship.

Asked if he knew how his favourite side had got on on Saturday while he was enjoying his matchwinning knock, Inglis astonished a few observers by replying: “Yeah, they won 2-1.”

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