Opener is one strong net session away from making his World Cup comeback this week
Aussies hope Dutch will dread Head's red left hand
Less than six weeks after fracturing his hand, Travis Head is firming for a World Cup return against the Netherlands as Australia insist they will not rest players for a clash with ODI cricket's 14th-ranked outsiders.
How Head's left hand pulls up from the most intense training hit since it was broken by a bouncer in South Africa last month will determine whether the 29-year-old is passed fit to play in Delhi on Wednesday evening.
The Aussies have preached caution with their blazing opener having carried him in their squad through the first half of the tournament.
But they are understandably eager to get their best batting line-up together on the park for a World Cup in which top-order runs are at a premium.
Coach Andrew McDonald was bullish on Head being right to face a well-drilled Dutch outfit, rather than holding him back another three days to face tournament standouts New Zealand, pending him pulling up well after Monday evening’s net session.
"We’re really optimistic that he will be available should all things go well today, and most importantly the way he pulls up tomorrow will be a key factor," McDonald said.
"He’s got to be skill ready, that's the next layer. It's one thing to be physically ready, and so that's a big step today in the nets, the way he goes. He’ll face bowlers and he'll give us an indication of what he can and can't do post that session.
"We don't put any player out there that's not 100 per cent. It's a World Cup. So we want to make sure … that hand’s functioning to the way we know it can and just basically giving him the best opportunity to perform with a range of shots that he does have.
"We said at the start of the tournament that there would be some risk associated with carrying an injured player and some people didn't think it would be possible. He's on the ground now and it's possible and that's really exciting for us."
Head only linked up with the squad in India late last week after progressing through his rehabilitation quicker than expected while at home in Adelaide.
When he returns, he will give captain Pat Cummins a handy extra part-time spin option. He bowls with his unaffected right hand. But he is yet to resume full-scale fielding drills.
"That's another thing we need to tick off over the next few days," Head said on Sunday. "Obviously important to understand the process and not to try to rush it too much, because that can set us back but … catching hasn't been an issue so far."
Head's return will have a knock-on effect on Australia's top-order.
Mitch Marsh and David Warner put on Australia's highest ever ODI stand overseas (259) in their win over Pakistan, but Marsh will be knocked down to No.3 to accommodate Head, who himself has formed a fearsome opening stand with Warner in recent times.
Marnus Labuschagne, who forced his way into the World Cup side through weight of runs, then shapes as the likely fall guy with Steve Smith moving down to No.4, but McDonald stressed they had not made that decision yet.
"Nothing is clear-cut at the moment," said the coach. "Once (Head) becomes available, those conversations start about how we best stack the batting line-up. It's been an ongoing question for us leading into the World Cup."
The five-time 50-over men's champions should be far too strong for a Netherlands team that has nonetheless impressed pundits with their tactical nous, led by Australian Scott Edwards.
"He's been ultra-impressive in the way he's led the Netherlands," said McDonald, who played in the 2011 Indian Premier League with Dutch spinner Roelof van der Merwe, the oldest player to feature in the tournament.
The Netherlands’ giant-killing capability was underlined when they recorded an upset win over South Africa, who have otherwise not lost a match and wiped the floor with Australia earlier in the tournament.
"They've got some really good players in decent form as well – Edwards, (paceman Logan) van Beek, van der Merwe," said McDonald.
"Even coming into the tournament, you don't take anyone lightly … they're sitting in their camp saying, 'we've got an opportunity to knock Australia over'."
Australia's defeats in their first two matches has nixed any possible notions that the Dutch clash could have been an opportunity to give some of the more weary squad members a match off.
Cummins and McDonald’s men could still afford to drop one of their back-to-back matches against standouts NZ and misfiring England, but a further defeat would likely torpedo their semi-final hopes.
"We won't be resting anyone, no," said McDonald. "There won't be any designed rests. If they are to miss the game, it would be through potential niggles, not anything to do with resting.
"It is taxing. We've got a big break on the back of (playing) New Zealand (a week before England), not that the players will be thinking about that at this point in time with the two games we've got coming up.
"We feel there's an ample gaps with the way the tournament is structured that you can get your best players through all the games."
Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup fixtures
October 8: Lost to India by six wickets
October 12: Lost to South Africa by 134 runs
October 16: Beat Sri Lanka by five wickets
October 20: Defeated Pakistan by 62 runs
October 25: v Netherlands, Delhi (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT
October 28: v New Zealand, Dharamsala, 4pm AEDT
November 4: v England, Ahmedabad (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT
November 7: v Afghanistan, Mumbai (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT
November 11: v Bangladesh, Pune, 4pm AEDT
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
2023 World Cup standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
IND
|
9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.57 | 0 | 18 |
|
2
SA
|
9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.261 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
AUS
|
9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.841 | 0 | 14 |
|
4
NZ
|
9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.743 | 0 | 10 |
|
5
PAK
|
9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -0.199 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
AFG
|
9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -0.336 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
ENG
|
9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.572 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
BAN
|
9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.087 | 0 | 4 |
|
9
SL
|
9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.419 | 0 | 4 |
|
10
NED
|
9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.825 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points