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Travis Head is likely to form the nucleus of Australia‘s World Cup squad in his return from a broken hand but admits he will play through pain.
Head is back in the nets in India, five weeks after breaking his hand in a World Cup warm-up match in South Africa.
Despite experiencing discomfort, Head has put his hand up to play after selector George Bailey said the all-rounder would slot back into his opening spot on return.
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“The pain, [I] can deal with as long as I’m not doing any damage to [my hand], and I’ve got the confidence to know that I’m not doing any damage,” he told media.
“A little bit of pain is OK so I’ll crack on where I can and try to get myself back.
“It feels a lot better than it did last week after a hit. There’s obviously some stiffness here but [it] feels pretty good.
“It’s important to understand the process and not try to rush it too much because that can set us back. But it feels good.”
Head was never replaced in Australia’s 15-man squad, instead sent home to recover as his position sat idle.
“It’s not something that I expected at the time,” Head said.
“[I went] through a range of emotions through those three or four days early on, to think that I sort of missed a chance, and I felt like I was contributing well.
“When it first happened I thought my chances were done. But as those three or four days played out, and [I got] back to Sydney and [saw the] specialist, there was definitely light at the end of the tunnel.
“It was nice to have the confidence to hold me. A lot had to go right.”
In his recovery, Head’s left arm and hand have lost muscle after being held motionless in a splint for four weeks. As a result, he is not yet back to full power.
“I’ve never been a big boy, but it’s definitely a little bit skinny,” he said.
“I don’t hit massive sixes anyway, so maybe I’ve just got to keep it on the carpet a little bit more, but I’m not too fazed by it.”
Head has been cautious with fielding and catching drills, but his right, bowling arm has been unaffected by deconditioning.
He also returned to the nets, first hitting tennis balls before facing deliveries from the Australian coaching panel on Saturday.
Despite the prospect of rejoining the team looking probable, Head acknowledged that he is taking things day by day.
“I had a really good hit [on Saturday],” he said.
“I think each session is getting better but [I’ve] got to be mindful of the fact that it was five weeks [only] a couple of days ago.
“Everything seems to be going well. But it’s how I wake up this morning. It’s how I can potentially back-up tomorrow and train and there’s still a few things I need to tick off.”
Australia’s back-to-back wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan have pushed the Aussies to fourth on the table.
Watch every Australian Cricket World Cup match and other headline games live and free on Channel Nine and 9Now.
The team will take on the Netherlands on Wednesday night before meeting New Zealand next Saturday evening.
Bailey suggested it was unlikely that Head would make his return against the Netherlands.
Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis are the two most likely players to make way for Head, although Stoinis was the third top scorer behind openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh against Pakistan, and made the first two breakthroughs with the ball.
