Josh Inglis eager to win first Sheffield Shield title with Western Australia

Josh Inglis, Western Australia wicketkeeper-batter is looking forward to winning the Sheffield Shield title for the first time when they lock horns with Tasmania at the WACA Ground in Perth on March 21. According to the 29-year-old, Western Australia's two consecutive title wins over the last couple of years have been "bittersweet," having been part of the team during both seasons but unfortunately missing the finals.

The wicketkeeper-batter was isolated from his teams after being affected by Covid-19 during the 2022 final. Meanwhile, in 2023, he was with Australia's ODI squad in India. He is expected to play a key role for the side this year, showcasing exceptional skills with the bat as well as behind the stumps.

"The boys made the last two and won the last two and it was bittersweet personally. Obviously, I played a part in both years but not having played in the final. In 2022 in Pakistan I had Covid – I didn't miss a ball of that final, (I) watched all four days – and then last year just returned from India so just unfortunately missed the first day. So, yeah, (this means) a helluva lot. I'm really looking forward to the next week," Inglis was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

Also read: Cameron Bancroft suffers concussion after falling off bike, to miss Sheffield Shield Final

“But you also don't want to look too much into that and make it a bigger game than it is. It's still a game of cricket at the end of the day. But yeah, personally for me it's something I've wanted to do over the last few years and having never played a Shield final, I'm really excited about the week to come,” he added.

Following Australia's recent T20 tour of New Zealand, Inglis has been in fine form in the Shield, having scored an unbeaten 136 against Queensland in the round nine clash. He is confident that he can reflect his good performance in the final showdown.

"Something I'm starting to get a bit more used to now is transitioning between white and red ball and the different formats. It can be quite hard at times but having done it more often now I feel a lot more comfortable with where my game is at. So, yep, feeling good and hopefully I can make some more runs this week," he said further.

Also read: Matthew Wade to retire from first-class cricket after Sheffield Shield final in Perth

Inglis will keep wickets for Western Australia while his Australian counterpart Matthew Wade, who is set to feature in his last first-class game, will not don the gloves for Tasmania as Jake Doran takes up that role. 

"He's (Wade) so tough to play against, he's an in-your-face character, gritty, he's hard to get out. But he scores a lot of runs.. He's someone I've become a bit closer to over the last few years obviously being around the Aussie setups and he's just a great competitor and a great person to be around," Inglis said on Wade.