Former Australian captain Tim Paine has called for Travis Head to replace Marnus Labuschagne in the top order for Australia’s upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match against New Zealand. Head is set to make a comeback from a hand injury for the game, which has created a dilemma for the Australian selectors. Steven Smith has indicated that he would like to maintain his position in the team, and Paine agrees that Labuschagne is the one who should be left out.
“I think he makes us a better team, so you play him,” Tim Paine said of Head on SEN Mornings. “I hoped he was going to play last game against the Dutch… rather than come straight in against the Kiwis who have been playing some good cricket.”
Paine believes that while Labuschagne has made significant progress in white-ball cricket, both Head and Smith have proven themselves as true ODI stars. Head has an average of 36 runs per game in ODIs, while Smith has scored 133 runs from five World Cup innings.
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“I think he comes in for Marnus, who, let’s be honest, he came into the World Cup squad after being dropped,” Tim Paine said. “I think credit to him, his one-day cricket has improved, his strike rate has gone up, his intent from the start has been up. So, in terms of the team getting better and going forward I think Marnus has done a really good job and his white-ball cricket has improved in the last five or six months, but Travis Head just makes us a better team.”
Smith admitted on Thursday that he was a bit shocked when he was told that he might need to bat down the order to accommodate Head’s return and Mitch Marsh’s move to number three. Paine believes that this is the best batting order that Australia can produce.
“So he comes in and opens the batting, Mitch Marsh goes to three and Steve Smith goes to four,” Tim Paine explained. “I think it’s a really nicely balanced batting order. Then you’ve got a top three packed with power, Steve Smith at four, the best batter in the country… then Josh Inglis, Maxwell Stoinis/Cameron Green on the other side, plenty of power. So, it looks a really strong batting lineup. If you went through our team man-on-man against New Zealand, I expect us to get the job done.”
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Australia will take on New Zealand on Saturday at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. The Pat Cummins-led side has three wins after beginning their campaign with two defeats. New Zealand has four wins in five outings, with their only loss coming against India.
