Head, Green, Inglis set for Shield return after T20 World Cup exit

Connolly, Renshaw, Bartlett, Abbott, Kuhnemann will all return to the Shield after the T20 World Cup exit but Steve Smith is unavailable NewsHead, Green, Inglis set for Shield return after T20 World Cup exitConnolly, Renshaw, Bartlett, Abbott, Kuhnemann will all return to the Shield after the T20 World Cup exit but Steve Smith is unavailableAlex MalcolmPublished: Mar 3, 2026, 4:38 AM (2 mins ago)Travis Head plays the ball to the leg side • Getty ImagesTravis Head admits that Australia simply "weren't good enough" at the T20 World Cup and, as he returns to Sheffield Shield cricket for South Australia after the early exit, said he was always keen to get back to red-ball cricket.Eight of the 16 players that travelled to the T20 World Cup, including Head, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matt Renshaw, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Matt Kuhnemann and World Cup reserve Sean Abbott, will all play at least one of the next two Sheffield Shield rounds, with round nine beginning on Thursday.Meanwhile, white-ball specialists Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa and Ben Dwarshuis are available to play in the One-Day Cup final on March 11 when Tasmania host New South Wales at Bellerive Oval.RelatedCummins, Hazlewood IPL fitness comes down to timingQ: What's gone wrong for Australia? A: Everything, all at onceMcGrath: Finding next generation of quicks is Australia's 'biggest challenge'Where to next for Australia's T20 cricket?However, Steven Smith will not play in the Sheffield Shield before heading to the Pakistan Super League in late March.Head will play for South Australia against New South Wales in Adelaide starting on Thursday but it will be his only game before heading off to the IPL to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad, which means he will miss round ten and possibly the final if South Australia qualify."Once we were out I was pretty keen to play this week," Head told reporters in Adelaide on Tuesday. "Obviously it was meant to be a T20 final in a few days' time, so I guess you play the schedule and I'm looking forward to the week."I'll be available for this one, and then I think Cricket Australia will put something out about the next one, but I certainly won't be around for the final. So at this stage, it's this game, and then I go the IPL pretty quickly. Trying to balance family life, which I've spoken about in the past, but also understanding that it's an important time for South Australia and an important time to be back involved and with the World Cup going the way it does you're expected to come back and play."Following his stunning Ashes series as Australia's new Test opener, Head said he would prefer to open the batting for South Australia this week ahead of his next Test assignment against Bangladesh in August but did not want to disrupt his side's momentum as they push for a Shield final."It's hard on everyone for someone to come back," Head said. "Most likely I'd be doing it in August, in a few months' time. So I'd like to get as many opportunities I can, so we'll see. I said to Rhino [SA coach Ryan Harris] I've got a preference where I want to be, but whatever works for the team I'm happy with."Cameron Green will play for Western Australia in round ten•Getty ImagesElsewhere, Green will miss Western Australia's clash against Queensland at the Gabba, also starting on Thursday, but is set to play the following match against New South Wales in Sydney starting on Saturday March 14 before he heads to the IPL to join Kolkata Knight Riders. Green will also play as a batter only in the Shield game given he does not have his red-ball bowling loads at adequate levels with his history of back problems in mind. The Shield match will be important for Green after a difficult Ashes as it is likely to be his only red-ball game before Australia's next Test squad is selected for the two-match home series against Bangladesh starting on August 13 in Darwin.In contrast, Inglis will play the match against Queensland starting on Thursday but will miss the game against New South Wales despite not heading to the IPL until May where he will have a shorter stint with new franchise Lucknow Super Giants. He is missing the first part of the IPL as he is getting married in early April. Like Green, the red-ball opportunity will be valuable for Inglis, who played two Ashes Tests as a specialist batter with a spot up for grabs in Australia's middle order against Bangladesh following the retirement of Usman Khawaja.Bartlett will be unavailable for Queensland against Western Australia due to his red-ball bowling loads not being ready after playing T20 cricket exclusively since mid-December but he is expected to play in the final Shield round against Tasmania in Hobart as they push for another final. But Bartlett is set to be unavailable for the final, if Queensland qualify, just as he was last year because of his IPL commitments with Punjab Kings."Obviously a difficult campaign, and difficult to be a part of, and frustrating for a few people," Travis Head said of the T20 World Cup campaign•ICC/Getty ImagesConnolly, Renshaw, Kuhnemann and Abbott are available for