- Aussies lost by 23 runs in Colombo
Travis Head insists Australia‘s Twenty20 World Cup hopes are not over following a shock loss to Zimbabwe, as his side prepares to use its 2023 World Cup triumph as a blueprint for recovery.
Australia are in a battle to progress beyond the group stage after Friday’s 23-run defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe, who are 11th on the ICC rankings.
‘We put ourselves under pressure after losing wickets in the powerplay,’ stand-in skipper Head said after Australia slumped to 4-29 chasing 170 runs for victory.
The depleted Aussies can’t afford to drop their next game against co-hosts Sri Lanka on Tuesday (AEDT) – and may not qualify for the Super 8 stage, even if they win.
But Head has drawn confidence from the 50-over World Cup in 2023, when Australia recovered from another slow start and eventually stunned hosts India in the tournament final.
‘We’ve been here before,’ he said.
Travis Head insists Australia’s Twenty20 World Cup hopes are not over despite a shock loss to Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe star Brad Evans celebrates the crucial wicket of Travis Head at the T20 World Cup
‘We said that at the toss, a little bit about ’23 and having injuries and working through, navigating through tournament play, which is difficult.
‘We’ve (already) seen a lot of tight games. All the teams are very good. (But) we’ve found ourselves in this position before.’
Australia stand at 1-1 following matches with Ireland and Zimbabwe at the T20 World Cup, but in 2023, they were 0-2 following losses to India and South Africa.
Injuries have made for uncertainty at the selection table, with Josh Hazlewood (hamstring, achilles), Pat Cummins (back) and Mitch Marsh (testicles) all sidelined.
Big-hitting Tim David also missed the first match with a hamstring issue, while all-rounder Marcus Stoinis injured his hand bowling against Zimbabwe before returning to bat.
In 2023, there were personnel obstacles to overcome as well.
Out-of-form Alex Carey and Cameron Green were dropped during the tournament, while Stoinis and Head had delayed starts through injury.
Four members of the XI that lost to Zimbabwe – Head, Josh Inglis, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell – were part of the team that defeated India in the 2023 World Cup final.
Meanwhile, Steve Smith is expected to be in the XI against Sri Lanka after making the dash from Australia as a travelling reserve.
His Big Bash form with the Sydney Sixers proved impossible to ignore, plundering 299 runs at 59.80 from six knocks.
Captain Mitch Marsh remains in doubt due to a testicular injury suffered at training.