Travis Head will survive in Australia’s World Cup squad, with his potential to emerge as a tournament-winner outweighing the risk of carrying an injured player through the early matches in India.
While Ashton Agar has failed to recover from a calf injury and is set to be ruled out of Australia’s World Cup campaign, it’s understood Head is being backed in by selectors.
The big question is what does that mean for Marnus Labuschagne?
Does Head’s inclusion cost Australia’s leading run-scorer his place, or do selectors find another way of squeezing in Labuschagne to their final 15-man squad to be finalised today (Thursday).
Head suffered a broken hand a couple of weeks ago in South Africa and originally appeared long odds to make it to the World Cup.
However, the injury didn’t require surgery and has improved over the past week and the South Australian star is on track to return midway through the Cup.
It’s always a major risk to go into a World Cup with only 14 available players, but selectors believe Head warrants the rare show of faith.
Head is a dynamic game-breaker and in what shapes as a high-scoring World Cup, Australia needs his explosive power at the top of the innings.
Adding Head to the mix alongside the in-form David Warner and Mitchell Marsh could give the Australians the edge they need to challenge the big guns like India and England.
Head starred opening the batting in the Test series in India earlier this year and will partner Warner upon his return – a move which would push Mitchell Marsh down to No.3 and Steve Smith to No.4.
Australia just needs to make sure they don’t drop more than a game while Head is on the sidelines, otherwise it might be too late for him to make an impact when he is given a clean bill of health.
Tanveer Sangha looms as a possible replacement for Agar, unless selectors feel uneasy about picking two leg-spinners in the same squad – given the presence of Adam Zampa as the No.1 slow bowler.
Matthew Kuhnemann from Queensland would be the logical like-for-like for Agar if selectors wanted a finger spinner, but he hasn’t been part of Australia’s preparations at all – whereas Sangha has.
The other option would be to replace Agar with part-time finger spinner Matthew Short or batsman Labuschagne – but it would seem for a World Cup in India, Australia would need a second specialist spinner.
Sangha bowled well in Australia’s win over India on Wednesday night and has put himself in the frame.
It is a blow for Australia to lose Agar who has been an extremely consistent performer for Australia in white ball cricket over the past few years.
Agar is also a more than handy batsman and fielder and provides the finger spin alternative to Zampa’s leggies.
The West Australian returned home from South Africa for the birth of his first child but has been battling with a calf injury that has not improved.