Head and Agar are obvious injury concerns: Cummins

Australia’s long list of injuries was a major concern heading into their final One-Day International (ODI) series before the 2023 World Cup. While it was all but confirmed that Travis Head won’t be involved in a lot of games for Australia at the showpiece event, the injury concern to Ashton Agar definitely came at the wrong time for them. 

Agar was expected to be part of the squad for the India tour but continued to be out of the setup. In his absence, it had to be a step up from Glenn Maxwell, who picked up his best-ever figures in ODIs - 4/40 - something that turned the tide in Australia’s favour. In the post-match presentation, Pat Cummins confirmed that Head won't be ready for the start of the tournament. 

“Potentially. Trav Head won't be ready for the start of the tournament,” Cummins said in the post-match presentation, ruling out Head’s participation in the early parts of the tournament. 

“The way Marsh and Warner started today looks like a pretty dangerous combination. They look pretty good. [Injuries] Head and Agar are the obvious ones. Agar is back home with a calf. We'll sit down and work it out,” he added.

On a good note, the third ODI was a return for the likes of Starc and Maxwell, who showed their worth in the clash. 

"Great first hit out for Starc and Maxwell. They both haven't played a lot over the last couple of months. Maxy four-for and Starcy looked like he was in great rhythm so I couldn't be happier.

Maxwell, who returned for the first time since the Indian Premier League (IPL), insisted that the South Africa tour was a little setback. But on his return, the off-spinner left a long-lasting impression and insisted that he feels ‘fresh’ ahead of the showpiece event. 

"It's been a lot of hard work. The South Africa tour was a little bit of setback. But it probably sped things up as well,” Maxwell said. 

“I was able to get home and get an injection and get into my rehab. I feel like I'm in a decent place. I feel fresh. I feel like I've come into this World Cup nice and fresh and I'm excited to hit the ground running," he added.

Australia kick-off their 50-over World Cup campaign against India on October 8 (Sunday) and would be hoping to tick off all boxes by then.