Australia have stormed back into the ongoing World Cup in India after dropping the first two matches. They lost to India and South Africa in their first two outings but since then, they have beaten Sri Lanka and Pakistan in consecutive matches. Perhaps, at one stage they were at the bottom of the table and now are at the fourth position.
Meanwhile, Travis Head looks set to make his return at the top of the order for Australia. He had fractured his left hand last month during the ODI series against South Africa. But the team management was confident of him regaining fitness in the middle of the tournament and didn't replace him with any other player. The move is likely to pay dividends soon as Head is likely to feature in the World Cup.
Moreover, the chief selector George Bailey has also confirmed that the left-handed opener will open the innings with Warner once he is fit. The decision comes close on the heels of a 259-run record partnership between Mitchell Marsh and Warner in the game against Pakistan. Marsh smashed a brilliant century, his second in the format, the other day and even then, he will have to slide down the order.
Having said that, Bailey didn't confirm if Head will make his comeback against the Netherlands on October 25 (Tuesday). "Clearly, he (Travis Head) comes in at the top. He's been fantastic there for us and that's where he'll slot in. And then we'll just work out (the Playing XI) when it is, who we're playing, the surface and what you might need. It can be a six to eight-week injury. He's ticked all the boxes in terms of the four-week scan and the bone has healed, so that's all going well, and he's progressed really well through the week (since he started batting).
"But clearly the whole point of having him (in the WC squad) and carrying him to this point is not to then risk it by bringing him back early. So if it works out for that Dutch game, great. If it's a little bit further on, then that's okay," Bailey said according to Cricbuzz. Another bone of contention for Australia would be which player drops out once Head returns. Marsh will bat at either three or four and the most likely candidate to be left out, as of now, seems Marnus Labuschagne.
