Travis Head Will Open The Innings Once He Fully Recovers, Says Australia's Chief Selector George Bailey

The Australian camp will be the recipient for more good news following yesterday’s win, as it was confirmed by chief selector George Bailey that lefty opener Travis Head will return at the top of the order once he resumes full fitness.

This would mean that in-form Mitchell Marsh, who scored a hundred in a record opening stand with David Warner against Pakistan, will have to slide lower down the order.

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With top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne struggling to find his footing in the tournament so far, Head could very well be the extra jolt of attacking energy that the Australian team are in desperate need of currently.

Although the duo of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh finally found their rhythm and put on a mammoth 259-run partnership against Pakistan yesterday, two previous consecutive collapses of the Australian batting order has shed light on a glaring issue that the five-time World Cup winners will have to address if they plan to progress deep into the tournament.

“Clearly, he (Travis Head) comes in at the top,” Bailey said. “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,” said Bailey.

Head sustained a fracture to his left hand in the fourth ODI against South Africa, prior to the World Cup, withstanding a short delivery from pacer Gerald Coetzee.

The sustained injury ruled Head out of the early stages of the World Cup for sure, but the Aussies still opted to choose him for the squad, in hopes he can recover soon and contribute to the team which is in dire need of his aggressive batting style currently.

READ: ‘We Love Each Other’s Success’: David Warner On His Partnership With Mitchell Marsh

The match against Netherlands game will fall just inside six weeks from the injury but Bailey said that it “is okay” if the comeback is further down the line in the World Cup.

“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),” Bailey said.

“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.”