World Cup 2023: With Travis Head return on the cards, Australia in turnaround mode | Cricket-world-cup News

October in Delhi is a buoyant time. Scorching heat paves the way for an ever-so-slightly pleasant breeze. The upbeat mood around the festivities are almost enough to overpower the stench of the air-pollution. There is, quite literally, a changing of the wind.The Australian cricket team, making a pitstop in the national capital midway through an up-and-down World Cup group stage to take on the Netherlands, would be hoping to ride that changing wind.
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After they were trounced both India and South Africa in their opening two matches, their campaign seemed destined to end in crisis, with questions circling their ageing veterans, a curious team selection in picking just one spinner, and fatigue for their all-format players in a tightly-scheduled season.
But after beating Sri Lanka and then making a statement thumping Pakan, aided favourable results elsewhere, they are right back into the contenders’ conversation. It’s almost as if to say that counting out Australia, the world’s premier red-ball team and five-time champions of this quadrennial 50-over event, after the first two games is not the smartest call.
Balance seems to be returning. Openers David Warner and Mitch Marsh both got the runs flowing with centuries in the previous game. Their only frontline spinner, Adam Zampa, recovered from a slow start to show he can choke opposition with economy and wickets in the middle overs. The pinch-hitting middle-order powers of Marcus Stoinis, and regular opener Travis Head, have both made their way back from injury. The fielding has been sharper, although not perfect. Momentum is on their side.
If their Tuesday afternoon training session was anything to go , any hurried urgency or mild panic has been replaced a certain kind of ease. There were only hour-long sessions for their top batsmen. Marnus Labuschagne put in a routine shift. Warner looked in solid touch, when timing the ball with traditional strokes as well as when experimenting a few pinch-hitting techniques. Steve Smith – well overdue a meaningful contribution in this tournament – was the most animated, working on a very specific area of his game, perhaps his recent struggles against seam early in his innings.
With a potentially tricky set of fixtures coming up next – against Ashes foe England and in-form neighbours New Zealand – to keep the momentum going, getting a comfortable win over lower-ranked opposition is key.
But complacency could cost the five-time champions. After Afghanan’s wins over England and Pakan, and the Netherlands’ win over South Africa, upsets are not alien to this tournament.
“Teams have gotten better. I think that’s great for world cricket,” Mitch Marsh told a press conference on Tuesday. “We’ve said it multiple times now in this tournament, there’s absolutely no easy games. And you go into every game having done all the appropriate homework and hopefully you can come out with a win.”
Head inclusion possible
While no confirmation was given over the availability of opener Head, his arrival in Delhi, and long training session on Monday, is certainly a boost to Australia’s hopes this tournament.
Coach Andrew McDonald told media on Monday that the team were “optimic” about his availability for the game on Wednesday, and Marsh echoed the sentiment the next day, revealing he will be happy to play at number three if Head returns.Most Read
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“Very happy to go back down to (number) three. I have obviously batted there a lot over the last couple of years, so I feel really comfortable there. And if and when Heady comes back in, I think that’s the best position for me to play for this team,” he said at a news conference.
Head’s inclusion is likely to push Smith down to number four and remove Labuschagne from the playing XI. The team’s balance at the top of the batting order will be aided Head, but his handy off-spin might reduce the pressure from Glen Maxwell’s shoulders, who has been Australia’s only spin option outside of Zampa.
With Head back, Australia would return to their first-strength XI. They won’t just be seeking a win in Delhi on Wednesday, but also looking to tick boxes that are yet to be ticked, like early wickets from their formidable new-ball seamers, and solid middle-order batting performances, in particular from Smith, whose big-match presence is required as Australia is headed to the business end of the tournament.