Australia will be looking to continue their impressive comeback in the World Cup 2023 as they take on low-ranked Netherlands at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, October 25. Australia are further boosted by Travis Head's return to training and are optimistic about the player's availability for the upcoming game.
The five-time champions were off to a disastrous start in the tournament with heavy defeats against South Africa and India. But Pat Cummins-side recorded impressive wins in their next two games with dominant results against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Head, the 29-year-old opener, suffered a left-hand injury during Australia's tour of South Africa last month and missed the team's opening four games. Australia have clearly struggled in batting in the absence of Head and will definitely cherish his return. Head was spotted batting at full intensity during the team's training session in Delhi on Monday and seems in good shape for a potential World Cup debut during the Netherlands game.
The team's coach Andrew McDonald also confirmed the player's impressive recovery from a hand injury and said that the management is optimistic about his availability ahead of the crucial game against Australia.
“We’re really optimistic that he’ll be available should all things go well today and as I said, most importantly, the way he pulls up tomorrow will be a key factor,” McDonald told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s been really impressive the way he’s gone about his recovery. We’ll just wait and see what it looks like in terms of the Netherlands, if Head is fit.”
Australia are currently placed in the fourth position in the points table with four points and will target another easy win against the Dutch side to further cement their standings.
Australia World Cup Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Alex Carey (wk), Josh Inglis (wk), Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
