The Australian cricket team is optimistic about Travis Head’s long-awaited return against the Netherlands at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, India, on October 24.
Head was included in the Aussies’ World Cup squad despite fracturing his left hand during Australia's South Africa tour last month.
The left-handed aggressive batter missed Australia’s first four matches of the tournament but his return is just a matter of time.
Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed that there is a good chance that Head will be called up for the match against the Dutch as the Aussies look to record their third successive win in the World Cup.
McDonald said selectors would make a call on the lefthander's availability after seeing how he recovers after training later on Monday.
"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.
"It's been really impressive the way he's gone about his recovery."
Should Head return, Marnus Labuschagne is expected to make way for the 29-year-old, however, McDonald said that was not clear-cut.
"We'll just wait and see what it looks like in terms of the Netherlands, if Head is fit," he added.
McDonald further confirmed that the team will retain the combination of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in the starting overs instead of bringing Pat Cummins in with the new ball.
"That combination of Starc and Hazlewood have really dove-tailed well in the powerplay. One's economy rate is ridiculously good and the other one's got the wicket-taking ability,” he added.
"We feel like that's a really good combination."
Australia suffered back-to-back defeats in their first two matches of the World Cup against India and South Africa but bounced back quickly and defeated Sri Lanka and Pakistan, making their way back to the top four and a win tomorrow could further strengthen their chances of qualifying for the semi-final.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands only have one win in the World Cup but the statistics don’t do justice to the fight they put against top teams in the event.
- Travis Head
