Australia chief selector George Bailey on Saturday acknowledged the risk associated with including Travis Head in the World Cup team despite his injury.
Head, who suffered a hand injury in Centurion recently, is still part of the 15-member Australian squad set to kick off their campaign against host India in Chennai on October 8th.
Bailey emphasised that Head's left hand is expected to remain in a cast for at least four more weeks, and his return to the round-robin 50-over tournament will depend on his recovery. He stated, "First and foremost, his recovery is the top priority, and that's the challenge he needs to overcome. We don't have a specific return date in mind for a game, but we are well aware of the risk involved. Any setback would pose a significant challenge for Travis."
Bailey also stressed the importance of Head to the team, calling him a crucial player and a part of their first-choice XI. He expressed hope that when Head does make his return, he will play a pivotal role for the team in the latter stages of the tournament.
In the context of squad changes, Bailey mentioned that Marnus Labuschagne was a late addition to the squad, replacing the injured Ashton Agar. This change left Australia with only one specialist spinner, Adam Zampa.
However, Bailey highlighted the all-round abilities of Glenn Maxwell, who made a remarkable impact with his off-spin in the final ODI against India. Maxwell's performance, recording match-winning figures of 4–40, demonstrated his prowess in the spin department.
Bailey asserted that it would be unfair to disregard Maxwell as a specialist spinner, as his track record in white-ball cricket suggests he can be considered a frontline spin option. In conclusion, Bailey noted that they view Maxwell and Zampa as two frontline spinners within their preferred XI.
