- Joined
- Aug 12, 2023
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After waiting patiently for an entire month for Travis Head to join them in India, the Australian players positioned themselves around the Arun Jaitley Stadium, ensuring they were quite a distance away from him. Travis Head had finally arrived at the World Cup after recovering from a left-hand fracture sustained during the South Africa tour. Once he had a good practice session in the nets, it was time for Head to focus on his power-hitting. The spreading out of his teammates had more to do with them taking up positions in the relatively expansive Kotla outfield. It was not that they didn't want to be around the popular left-handed batsman.
It took a bit of time for Head to find his rhythm with the power-hits, but soon enough, he started launching the white Kookaburra cricket ball into the Delhi night sky, clearing boundaries on both sides of the ground. Naturally, there were a few mishits, but the coaching staff was keeping a close eye on the clean connections he was making. Head had faced Sean Abbott in the nets without any significant trouble, and even his six-hitting seemed in good shape on that Monday night.
While the attention on Head was understandable, it didn't appear to be as intense as one might have expected had he arrived a week earlier. This could be due to Australia's successful efforts to get their World Cup campaign back on track after the initially unimpressive performances against India and South Africa.
While it's almost certain that Head will play against the Netherlands on Wednesday, Australia's ability to manage his fitness without excessive concern is a reflection of their improved chances of progressing deep into the World Cup. Pat Cummins' team currently occupies the fourth position in the tournament after being at the bottom just a week ago. With some favorable outcomes in other matches across the tournament, a victory over the Netherlands in Delhi could further strengthen their position.
Although recent matches have witnessed some surprising upsets, Australia has a strong historical record of not falling to lower-ranked teams in major events, with exceptions like their loss to Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup and the inaugural World T20 in 2007. The Netherlands, on the other hand, isn't aiming to "upset" anyone but to win as many matches as possible in pursuit of their goal to reach the semifinals, as stated by Logan van Beek before the match. They are looking to set the record straight against Australia in their first major event encounter since 2007.
When: October 25, 2023, 2:00 PM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Teams
Australia:
The discussion regarding Head centers on whether he can get through the Tuesday session without injury, in which case he should be fit for the upcoming match. In such a scenario, it's likely that Marnus Labuschagne will be left out, and Mitchell Marsh, despite his impressive century, would be moved down to the No. 3 position.
From a tactical and strategic standpoint, having Head as the opener introduces a different dimension to the Australian team. This setup not only provides two very aggressive openers but also ensures that they have a No. 3 batsman capable of maintaining a high-intensity innings. Josh Hazlewood has had an outstanding tournament, although he hasn't always had a high number of wickets to his name. The primary challenge for the Dutch team would be overcoming the new-ball threat posed by Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, especially with Adam Zampa now back in the wicket-taking form as well.
Netherlands:
The Netherlands have been one of the more stable teams in the World Cup, and it appears they will stick with the same lineup that faced Sri Lanka.
In terms of tactics and strategy, the Dutch team has emphasized the importance of consistent preparation. This focus on readiness means that they are likely to deploy Aryan Dutt as the opening bowler. Dutt, the second-most economical bowler in the powerplay, is expected to pose a challenge for the two left-handed Australian openers. While the Dutch team has relied on lower-order runs, they are hoping for their top-order batsmen to deliver and contribute more significantly.
Squads:
Netherlands Squad: Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards(w/c), Sybrand Engelbrecht, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar, Ryan Klein, Shariz Ahmad, Wesley Barresi
Australia Squad: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis(w), Marnus Labuschagne, Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Sean Abbott
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as SAF will top the table in that case due to higher NRR. Otherwise, Aussies are winning next 4 games - they lost their first two games to almost confirm semi-finalists, therefore looked bad; but they have played their game on Chennai track….Today at Delhi, left is Dharmsala, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune
- then Mumbai or most likely Eden…
for 
