Travis Head ruled out as Australia shake up Bangladesh tour squad

MELBOURNE: Australia have announced several changes to their white-ball squads ahead of their upcoming tour of Bangladesh, with star opener Travis Head ruled out after being granted personal leave and workload management clearance by Cricket Australia.

Head, who had already missed recent ODI action against Pakistan due to Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments with Sunrisers Hyderabad, was initially included in both the ODI and T20I squads for the Bangladesh series. However, selectors have now confirmed that he will sit out the entire tour.

National selector Tony Dodemaide said the decision was made with long-term planning in mind, given Head’s heavy international workload across all formats. He added that Australia are looking forward to having the left-hander return for the upcoming Test series.

Australia are yet to name a replacement for Head in the T20I squad, leaving a gap in the top-order options as the team prepares for challenging conditions in Bangladesh.

The visitors have also suffered a major setback with ODI captain Mitchell Marsh ruled out of the 50-over series. Marsh is still recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the IPL and has not fully regained match fitness. He is now expected to target a return for the T20I series starting June 17.

With both Marsh and regular ODI captain Pat Cummins unavailable, wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis will once again lead the side in the ODI format after previously captaining Australia in Pakistan. Inglis may also continue as T20I captain depending on Marsh’s recovery timeline.

Australia’s bowling unit has also been impacted, with leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha ruled out due to a hamstring injury. Off-spinner Todd Murphy has been called up as his replacement, earning a maiden selection in Australia’s white-ball squad.

Despite the disruptions, selectors have retained Matt Short and Ollie Peake after strong performances in the Pakistan ODIs, signaling continuity in the middle order.

Australia now head into the Bangladesh tour with a reshuffled squad and several leadership adjustments as they aim to maintain momentum in the white-ball format.

Australia ODI squad: Josh Inglis (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Ollie Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Liam Scott and Adam Zampa.

Australia T20I squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw and Adam Zampa.