After being struck by a short delivery from Gerald
Coetzee in the fourth One-Day International against South Africa at SuperSport
Park on Friday, Australia’s opener Travis Head has a confirmed fracture in his
left hand, putting his availability for the early stages of the World Cup in
doubt.
When Head was smacked on the left glove while
attempting to pull off Coetzee, he was on nine and facing his ninth delivery.
Before continuing to bat, he received treatment from the Australian medical
personnel on the pitch. He only faced three more pitches before retiring sick
and obviously in pain. After the game, Australia coach Andrew McDonald said
that an x-ray taken when he was hospitalised revealed a fracture.
“At this stage, it’s a confirmed fracture and how
long that timeframe is, we’re yet to determine that so fingers crossed clearly
with the World Cup fast approaching,” McDonald said post-match.
“I’m not a medical person, but I think it’s a
little bit higher up than the actual [index] finger itself. But I don’t know
the actual terminology. It’s in a joint somewhere so I won’t go into the
medical specifics. But, yeah, a confirmed fracture and to be assessed again
tomorrow with another scan.”
Australia’s 417-run chase took a hit when they were
reduced to 22 for 2, but Head got off to a good start. After being hit, he
blasted Marco Jansen over deep backward square for six, but the next ball,
which he toe-ended just short of Kagiso Rabada at mid-off, required him to
remove his damaged hand off the bat in order to make the stroke. He took off
his glove at the non-striker’s end right away.
When he faced the next ball, he created space to cut,
but Coetzee trailed him and pressed against him as he attempted to flay it
through the offside. After playing the stroke, he winced in excruciating pain
and quickly walked to the dressing room to advise the umpires and stand-in
South Africa captain Aiden Markram that he could not continue.
The injury to Head is one more worry for Australia
going into the World Cup. In the run-up to the World Cup, the three-match ODI
series against India begins on September 22. Pat Cummins (wrist fracture),
Steven Smith (wrist tendon), Mitchell Starc (groyne), and Glenn Maxwell (leg)
are all returning from layoffs and expecting to be well for the series.
With Head set to miss Sunday’s game and potentially
the start of the World Cup, Marsh looks set to move up to open given the form
he showed in India earlier in the year.