Australian opener Travis Head will miss the initial part of the World Cup due to a left hand fracture, as confirmed by head coach Andrew McDonald. Head sustained this injury during the fourth ODI in the recently concluded five-match series against South Africa.
“The timeframe is still a little bit loose at the moment. But the good news is that he doesn’t require surgery as it sits at the moment. The follow-up scan confirmed the fracture was in a joint. There will be an extended period of time out and we’re just going to weigh whether that time falls potentially with an option to carry him through the front half of the World Cup. But there is no doubt that he won’t be available for the front half. So that’s a decision we’ll need to make in terms of the final 15. But I can’t give you an exact timeframe,” said McDonald after ODI series.
Head’s absence would be a significant setback for the Australian team. Since his return to the ODI line-up in 2022, Head has been consistently scoring runs, accumulating 241 runs in seven innings at an average of 48.20 and a remarkable strike rate of 141.76. In the series against South Africa, he scored 152 runs, at a strike rate of 153.54 before getting injured.
Head is part of Australia’s provisional 15-member World Cup squad, but teams have until September 28 to finalise their final 15.