English-born Inglis reflects on the poetry and enormity of his maiden ODI ton
Keeper-batter Josh Inglis is downplaying the magnitude of his first ODI century coming against his birth-nation, after helping Australia complete a history-making Champions Trophy win.
Josh Inglis spent nearly 15 years growing up in Leeds, England. But the 29-year-old just played a pivotal role in helping Australia beat their fierce cricketing rival.
With his parents and brother Joe, the Inglis family emigrated to Western Australia in 2010 not long before his 15th birthday, having represented Yorkshire's junior cricket sides.
Inglis’ rise to international acclaim was a slow burn, making his national team debut in 2022 as a 26-year-old, getting a taste in both white ball formats that year.
And of course it was only very recently, in Sri Lanka earlier in 2025, where he not only made his Test debut but scored a ton in his maiden innings – compiling a handy 102 from just 94 balls in Galle.
Well, the runs keep coming for the Leeds product, collecting two maiden tons in two formats in the space of one month.
This latest knock, against England of all teams, assisted Australia in picking up a history-making Champions Trophy win. The Aussies’ 356/5 is the highest ever successful chase in an ICC tournament.
He came to the crease with Australia at 122/3 in the 20th over and saw them home, scoring an unbeaten 120* off 86 deliveries, deservedly earning Player of the Match honours.
Asked post-game whether he believes it’s the best knock of his career so far, Inglis confirmed that it ‘maybe’ could be, but he’ll need more time to properly process.
“Under the circumstances, I think, in an ICC event, you obviously want to have an impact and you want to help your team win a game,” he said. “So, maybe (his best innings so far). I’ll reflect on that in the future.”
As an English kid that was blossoming into a talented cricketer, Inglis of course grew up supporting the Three Lions. But unsurprisingly, not anymore.
“Those days (supporting England) are long gone,” he added, sporting a cheeky grin.
“I think it’s really special (scoring a maiden ODI century). It doesn’t matter who it’s against, like I said before it’s a really tight 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.”
Australia seal historic chase:
Inglis also confirmed he had already received some congratulatory messages from gracious UK-based relatives.
“Yeah, I’ve had a few (text messages from English relatives) already, so that’s pretty nice.”
Australia’s next-up assignment is against another familiar foe in South Africa, who also got off to a winning Champions Trophy start. A win for either of these sides in Rawalpindi on Tuesday will all but confirm tournament progression.
The other Group B encounter coming up sees England take on Afghanistan, which becomes a must-win for both nations, coming off first-up defeats. They play in Lahore on Wednesday, February 26.
ICC
, solid 50 on debut
