Cricket Australia (CA) announced a 15-member World Cup squad on September 28. Marnus Labuschagne was rewarded for carrying his form after winning the game for Australia against South Africa as a concussion substitute. Labuschagne replaced an injured Ashton Agar in the side.
Meanwhile, they have picked their explosive opener Travis Head has been picked in the squad despite suffering a fracture in a joint on his left hand. Head will have a cast on his hand for at least four more weeks which means he will miss the first few games of the mega event.
Head’s absence in the initial matches means that Mitchell Marsh will open the innings alongside David Warner when Australia take on hosts India on October 8 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Also, they have practically selected a 14-member squad for the World Cup as there is no clear picture of when he will regain full fitness.
"We have made the decision to carry Travis through the early stages with the aim of him being available around the mid-part of the tournament," Australia's chief selector George Bailey said.
"He has been a really important player in this ODI team and we are hopeful his return can provide a positive impetus as it gets to the business end of the tournament."
In Agar's absence, Pat Cummins will have only one speciallist spinner at this disposal in the form of Adam Zampa. However, Glenn Maxwell's career-best four-fer in 66-run against India on a batting pitch will give Cummins confidence. They have bowling options on Steve Smith, and Labuschagne as well to chip in with few overs.
"This was a tough call but unfortunately, we couldn't carry both Travis and Ashton into the tournament with the injuries they have," Bailey said.
High on spirits after a win against Rohit Sharma's side in a dead rubber match, Australia will play their first warm-up match against minnows Netherlands at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram on September 30. Their second warm-up match is against Pakistan at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on October 3.
Australia's World Cup squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
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