SA vs Austraila :Travis Head suffers fracture in left hand, raising World Cup concerns for Australia

Australia has suffered a major setback ahead of the ODI World Cup in 2023. Opener Travis Head, who is considered to be important to Australia's World Cup ambitions, broke his hand while batting in the fourth ODI against South Africa. 

Travis Head suffers fracture in left hand, World Cup participation under threat

In Short

  • Australia opener Travis Head has broken his hand.
  • Head was expected to be a crucial part of Australia's plans in the ODI World Cup 2023
  • Head has been Australia's best all-format batter in the last one and a half years.


Australia's World Cup preparations have been thrown into chaos after Travis Head fractured his hand in a 164-run loss to South Africa at Centurion. Head's night, and possibly his World Cup dream, ended when he was injured on 17 runs in Friday's fourth one-day international after being struck by a painful blow on his left hand by Gerald Coetzee.

Australia has suffered a major setback ahead of the ODI World Cup in 2023. Opener Travis Head, who is considered to be important to Australia's World Cup ambitions, broke his hand while batting in the fourth ODI against South Africa. 

The opener batted for two more overs before collapsing on the ground in obvious pain. After Heinrich Klaasen's 174 off 83 balls and David Miller's unbeaten 82 had blasted the hosts to a huge 5-416, the Proteas went on to emphatically tie the five-match ODI series 2-2.

Despite Alex Carey's excellent innings of  99 Runs, Australia were bowled out for 252 in 34.5 overs. Australia's chase ended when Carey gloved Kagiso Rabada to a diving Quinton de Kock to cap Australia's second defeat by more than 100 runs in three days and their second-biggest loss in all ODIs against South Africa.

But the result seemed minor in comparison to the concern facing the crucial left-hander Head, with the World Cup less than a month away. Prior to Head's ninth-over exit, David Warner and skipper Mitch Marsh had both departed quickly.

Like Carey, Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis fell victim to South Africa's short-ball trap, gloving catches to De Kock. Lungi Ngidi was the outstanding bowler, taking four wickets for 51 runs. Rabada took three wickets and also grabbed a fantastic diving one-handed catch to dispose of Nathan Ellis.

Klaasen and Miller had already destroyed the Australian bowling attack, smashing 19 fours and 18 sixes between them and sharing a record-breaking 222-run fifth-wicket stand from only 94 deliveries.

Following a careful start by openers De Kock and Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen began to change the tempo with a 62-ball knock before Klaasen and Miller put together some real display.

Klaasen's century, which came off 57 balls, was South Africa's fourth fastest, behind only AB de Villiers (twice) and Mark Boucher.


Leg-spinner Adam Zampa was the most expensive  113 runs in 10 overs, breaking the long-standing unwanted record that was previously set outright by former Australia speed bowler Mick Lewis (against South Africa in 2006) for the highest number of runs conceded by a bowler in an ODI. The fifth and final game is coming Sunday in Johannesburg.

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