ODI World Cup 2023: Travis Head's recovery 'better than hoped' as squad return looms

Australian star batter Travis Head is on the cusp of making a comeback, gearing up to join his teammates at the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Head, who suffered a painful hand fracture during Australia's tour of South Africa, is now on the road to redemption.

The news of Head's return comes as a sigh of relief for Australian cricket fans. His hand, injured by a quick delivery from Gerald Coetzee in Centurion, is healing faster than anticipated. Head expressed his optimism and said that the injury is probably better than he hoped.

"It's coming along well, and probably better than we hoped," Head told cricket.com.au.

For those in the know, the decision not to opt for surgery proved pivotal. Surgery would have spelled a grueling ten-week recovery, but without it, Head could rejoin the team in as little as six weeks.

"When we decided not to go with surgery, which would have meant a ten-week recovery, we were told it would be minimum six weeks with the splint before we could look at playing again.

"But we'll just see how it progresses over the next few days and I'm excited by the prospect of joining the boys over there later in the week," he added. 

This tempting prospect hinges on Head's progress over the coming days, potentially setting the stage for his return in the Netherlands match on October 25. However, he acknowledged that everything would have to go perfectly from here to make that deadline.

"Going by that plan, the Netherlands game will be just under six weeks from impact, which is a pretty aggressive date so everything would have to go perfectly from here to make that deadline," Head added.

Australia's World Cup campaign got off to a shaky start, with no player managing to secure a half-century. The team's underwhelming performances underscore the significance of Head's impending return. Nevertheless, it remains a daunting task for Head to hit the ground running in this World Cup.