Aussies do not have the luxury of a slow start in their tournament opener against rivals England
No room for early slip-up at 'cut-throat' Champs Trophy: Head
World Cup conqueror Travis Head admits Australia cannot afford one of their habitual early tournament slip-ups if they hope to add the Champions Trophy to their silverware cabinet.
A severely undermanned Aussie side have arrived in Lahore under heavy security provisions ahead of Saturday's (8pm AEDT, Prime Video) Champions Trophy opener against Ashes rivals England.
The strength of their other Group B opponents South Africa (the 2023 World Cup semi-finalists who beat Australia in the group stage of that tournament) and Afghanistan (who avenged running Australia close at that same event by effectively knocking them out of last year's T20 World Cup) mean a defeat to England could be fatal.
Head was player of the match in the ODI champions' most recent two knockout 50-over games at the 2023 World Cup, a tournament the Aussies triumphed in despite a rocky start to their campaign.
Pat Cummins' men were on the ropes after back-to-back defeats to India and the Proteas, but regrouped to surge to an improbable title, thanks in part to Head's mid-tournament return from a hand injury.
That followed similar hiccups at ICC tournaments Australia won in 2021 (flogged by England in the group stage of the T20 World Cup in the UAE), in 2015 (beaten by New Zealand in a thriller in the early stages of the ODI World Cup) and, perhaps most memorably, in 1999 (lost to New Zealand and Pakistan).
"It's been spoken about," Head said of their propensity for an early wobble.
"But it's not trying to build anticipation or anxiety around that. It's about going out and executing what we do well, being relaxed and calm around things.
"We need to use the next four days to prepare well to make sure we hit the ground running.
"You don't have the luxury of a World Cup with a lot of games to work into a tournament and can pinpoint games that are maybe more important than others when you're navigating through tournament play.
"Here it's pretty cut-throat, it's pretty much knock-out, and you've got to start well.
"All our attention is on England right now and then we'll move to the next one when we're done with that."
The importance of star opener Head will be even greater than normal for the depleted Aussies in their tilt at winning the relaunched Champions Trophy for the first time since 2009.
Gone are almost half of the 2023 World Cup squad; none of Cummins, Cameron Green, Mitch Marsh, Josh Hazlewood (all injured), David Warner, Marcus Stoinis (both retired) or Mitchell Starc (personal reasons) will feature in Pakistan.
Australia have only played 11 one-dayers since lifting the World Cup trophy in Ahmedabad, and only two ODIs in the past three months – last week's 0-2 series defeat in Sri Lanka where Australia rotated their main players.
But the uber-aggressive Head, a shining light through recent Test campaigns, quipped: "Am I ever out of white-ball mode?"
The team's vice-captain, deputising for Steve Smith who in turn is standing for Cummins, insists other Test players like Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Inglis will be able to adapt.
"There have been a few guys who have been in the Test team over the summer. They haven't played a lot of white-ball cricket (recently). But those guys are pretty versatile and have played a lot of international cricket," he said.
"Then the guys coming in have come off a Big Bash summer. They've played a lot of white-ball cricket – I know it's T20 cricket … but I feel we'll be in a good position.
"I feel like we're experienced enough in that batting unit that the guys that have been playing red-ball cricket can transition pretty well, and have done in the past."
2025 ICC Men's Champions Trophy
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Australia's Group B fixtures
February 22: Australia v England, Lahore (8pm AEDT)
February 25: Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi (8pm AEDT)
February 28: Afghanistan v Australia, Lahore (8pm AEDT)
March 4: Semi-final 1, Dubai (8pm AEDT)
March 5: Semi-final 2, Lahore (8pm AEDT)
March 9: Final, Lahore or Dubai (8pm AEDT)
Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Spencer Johnson, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly