CWC 2023: “Clearly, Travis Head comes in at top,” says Australia chief selector George Bailey

New Delhi [India]: Australia chief selector George Bailey admitted that batter Travis Head will start to play as an opener whenever he is cleared to return to the pitch and he is not certain to play in the next match against the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Australia turned around their World Cup campaign and received a further fillip on Saturday when Travis Head rejoined the squad in Delhi. Head’s return will strengthen Australia’s lineup after the five-time champions suffered back-to-back defeats in their opening games.

Despite Mitch Marsh’s scorching form while filling in for the injured opener, Head has been locked in for a return to the top of the order when he is healthy to play in Australia’s World Cup squad.

“I don’t know how realistic it is. Clearly, the whole point of having him and carrying him to this point is not to risk it by bringing him back early. So if it works out that it’s the Dutch game, great. If it’s a little bit further on, then that’s that’s OK,” Bailey was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

Bailey confirmed Head’s return as an opener, relegating century-maker Mitch Marsh to No. 3. Marnus Labuschagne, who was demoted to No.8 on Friday, is the most likely to be replaced.

“Clearly [Head] comes in at the top. He’s been fantastic there for us and that’s where he’ll slot in,” Bailey said.

As per Sydney Morning Herald, the injury concerns for Australia include opener David Warner and leg-spinner Adam Zampa. Both performed admirably against Pakistan on Friday. Warner scored a brilliant century alongside Marsh, but was little seen in the field.

Zampa was on the verge of dismissal for the second match in a row before grabbing four wickets. It was a back spasm in the previous game.

“I think that probably exacerbated the back a bit when you’re a bit achy and not feeling your best. His ability to get through his 10 overs was pretty impressive. He came good for a couple of celebrations late too, so I’m not sure how bad it was,” said Bailey.

Against the Netherlands, Australia will resist the urge to rest or rotate players.

“Already we’ve seen in this tournament anyone can beat anyone on any given day. A lot of the teams that you don’t play as often, or haven’t played for a while, it probably just makes you focus a little bit more on what you want to do as a team. Just focus internally on making sure you do that really well,” said Bailey.

“You just try and put your best 11 out. A lot of the time, that’s based on what’s happening internally, but there’s always a bit of an eye on who you’re coming up against or a specific venue. That has to be a factor,” said the Australian chief selector.