On September 6, Australia finalised their 15-member preliminary squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023, which will be played in India, during October and November of this year. But, with a lot of key players suffering from niggles and injuries in the list confirmed by Cricket Australia (CA) currently, their participation in the tournament is looking doubtful.
CA has the option to make changes in the squad until September 28, which they are likely to exercise if any of the Australian players aren’t ready to fly to India for the quadrennial spectacle. With that, SportsTiger looks at the six Australian players doubtful for the ODI World Cup 2023 in this feature article.
1. Travis Head
The latest player to add himself to the injury list for Australia is Travis Head, the left-handed opening batter, during the ongoing five-match ODI series against South Africa. In the fourth ODI at SuperSport Park in Centurion, Gerald Coetzee, the fast bowling sensation, bowled a short delivery to Travis Head, which struck his left glove, and the scans later revealed a fracture in his left hand, making him doubtful for the quadrennial spectacle.
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2. Steve Smith
Steve Smith talked about how he played the last three Tests of the Ashes against England with an injured left wrist in an interview last month. He revealed that the tendon injury happened to him while fielding at Lord’s in London on the final day of the second Ashes Test, which has put doubts over his participation in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023.
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3. Glenn Maxwell
During the first training session of the Australian cricket team in South Africa last month, Glenn Maxwell suffered a minor injury to his left ankle, which ruled him out from the entire tour. The 34-year-old, who had gone through a fractured fibula beforehand, could miss the all-important ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India this October and November with the injury cloud hanging over him.
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4. Cameron Green
Cameron Green was struck by a bouncer to the head from the South African Kagiso Rabada, during the first ODI of the series at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein. The subsequent concussion ruled him out from the next three matches of the ODI series, which might lead him to miss out on the quadrennial spectacle for Australia starting next month if the recovery isn’t swift enough.
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5. Mitchell Starc
After taking part in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final and the Ashes series in the United Kingdom during June and July of this year, Mitchell Starc returned home to Australia with groin soreness. For this specific reason, he was not selected for the limited-overs tour to South Africa, which brought about some doubts over his participation in the ODI World Cup 2023.
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6. Pat Cummins
The captain of Australia, Pat Cummins suffered a left wrist fracture while fielding on day one of the final Test of the Ashes series against England at The Oval. With him not making the trip to South Africa for their ongoing limited-overs tour, there is a chance of him not recovering in time to play the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, let alone perform the leadership role for the Australian cricket team there.
