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Travis Head has made his much-anticipated return after recovering from a fracture to be included in Australia's playing XI for the 2023 ODI World Cup encounter against New Zealand in Dharamshala on Saturday.
The left-handed batter was ruled out of the first half of the ongoing World Cup campaign after sustaining an injury during the ODI series against South Africa. He was hit on his hand by a bouncer from Gerald Coetzee and only recently joined the Aussie squad in India.
Head comes into the playing XI at the expense of all-rounder Cameron Green. He will open with David Warner to resume their prolific partnership at the top of the order, leading to Mitchell Marsh being demoted to No. 3, Steve Smith to No. 4, and so on.
Australia will be batting first after New Zealand skipper Tom Latham won the toss in the day encounter. Officially naming Travis Head in the playing XI, Aussie skipper Pat Cummins said:
"Looks like a good wicket, might slow down later. Travis Head comes back in and Cameron Green unfortunately misses out. Everyone in the team has a role to play. Travis's record is excellent, he just missed out a couple of days ago."
Australia have garnered momentum in their campaign after starting off with two successive losses. They recorded a mammoth win over the Netherlands in Delhi recently and are on the lookout to record four wins in a row.
Travis Head has scored 241 runs in seven ODIs in 2023
The opening batter has amassed two fifties across seven ODIs this year and boasts an average of 48.20 and a staggering strike rate of 141.76.
Head has also recorded three fifties in five innings against New Zealand, although his last appearance against them came six years ago.
Australia XI: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
New Zealand XI: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.
Will Travis Head be among the runs right away following his absence due to injury? Let us know what you think.
