Travis Head will slot straight back in at the top of Australia’s batting order when he is cleared to return to action, which could be as soon as their next game against Netherlands in Delhi on Wednesday, meaning a move down the list for the in-form Mitchell Marsh.

Head, who had been recovering at home, linked up with the squad as they moved to Delhi on Saturday following their 62-run victory against Pakistan in Bengaluru, which was centred around a 259-run opening stand between Marsh and David Warner.

But Marsh has only been keeping the seat warm for Head who suffered a broken hand in South Africa last month but was named in the World Cup squad despite being unavailable for the first part of the tournament.

“Clearly [Head] comes in at the top,” chair of selectors George Bailey told reporters. “He’s been fantastic there for us and that’s where he’ll slot in. And then we’ll just work out when it is, who we’re playing, the surface and what you might need.”

Having made significant concessions to carry Head during his injury, caution will be taken not to rush the final stages of his recovery so he could be held back for the game against New Zealand on October 28.

“It can be a six to eight-week injury,” Bailey said. “He’s ticked all the boxes in terms of the four-week scan and the bone has healed, so that’s all going well, and he’s progressed really well through the week.

“But clearly the whole point of having him and carrying him to this point is not to then risk it by bringing him back early. So if it works out that it’s the Dutch game, great. If it’s a little bit further on, then that’s okay.”

Regardless of the comeback match, it will see a reshuffle of the order with Marsh likely slotting in at No. 3, or perhaps even lower down, with Marnus Labuschagne potentially the one to make way after Marcus Stoinis made an impact with the ball against Pakistan.

Head has been prolific since returning to the ODI side in early 2022, averaging 60.84 with a strike rate of 119.14. He will also provide another useful spin-bowling option for Pat Cummins.

After losing their opening two matches, Australia’s World Cup has been revived by convincing wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan. If they beat Netherlands, as they are expected to do despite the upsets seen so far, they could face a tournament-defining week with back-to-back matches against England and New Zealand before a somewhat more favourable run to end the group stages with games against Afghanistan and Bangladesh.