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New Delhi (AFP) – Australia are “aware of the risk” of carrying Travis Head in their World Cup team despite an injury and hope the opener will recover soon, chief selector George Bailey said.
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Head, who broke his hand in Centurion earlier this month, remains part of the 15-member Australian team that will open their campaign against hosts India in Chennai on October 8.
Bailey said Head, whose left hand is expected to be in a cast for at least four more weeks, will have an impact on his return in the round-robin 50-over tournament.
“First and foremost, it’s about him recovering and that’s the hurdle he’s got to overcome. There’s not a specific date in terms of a game (for his return),” Bailey told reporters on Friday.
“We are aware of the risk that if there is a setback there at some point then it makes it really challenging for Trav.”
Bailey said, “He’s a really important player for us. He is certainly a player who is on our first choice XI. Hopefully when he does come online, he can have a really important impact for us towards the back end of the tournament.”
Marnus Labuschagne was a last-minute inclusion in the squad in place of injured Ashton Agar, a change that left five-time champions Australia with just one specialist spinner in Adam Zampa.
All-rounder Glenn Maxwell recorded match-winning figures of 4-40 with his off-spin in the final ODI against India on Wednesday to make an instant impact on his return from injury.
Bailey said Maxwell will be a force in the spin department alongside Zampa.
“I think it’s unfair on ‘Maxi’ to say he’s not a specialist spinner,” Bailey said on Maxwell’s ability to turn the ball.
“I think his white-ball spinning record is pretty handy and I think you could very much consider him a frontline option. We certainly consider that we have two frontline spinners within our first choice XI.”
© 2023 AFP
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