Travis Head rekindles his 2023 magic to revive Australia’s T20 World Cup hopes

Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign has been rocked by a surprise defeat to Zimbabwe and a growing injury list, but stand-in skipper Travis Head says the team must draw inspiration from their 2023 playbook to recover.

Following the 23-run loss — which now leaves Australia needing victories over Sri Lanka and Oman to keep their hopes alive — Head struck a defiant tone at the post-match presentation. “We spoke a bit about ’23 … about navigating tournament cricket, which isn’t easy,” he said, recalling Australia’s triumphant ODI World Cup run that year.

Head noted that several members of the current squad were part of that successful 2023 campaign. “A few of the guys were in India and managed to work through [the ODI World Cup], and we came out on top. We’ll lean on that blueprint again … we’ve got two must-win games ahead.”

With injuries piling up — Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh all sidelined for significant periods — former captain Steven Smith has been drafted into the squad as backup and could be formally included.

Despite the setback, Head dismissed any sense of panic, expressing confidence in his squad’s resilience. “There have been plenty of close contests. Every team here is strong. But we’ve been in tough spots before.”

The reference to 2023 was deliberate. Head was instrumental in that World Cup triumph, and his faith in past success may prove crucial as Australia push to secure a place in the Super Eights.