Travis Head, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis set for Sheffield Shield return after T20 World Cup exit

Australia had a forgettable T20 World Cup 2026 campaign as they lost to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in the group stage and crashed out of the marquee event.

Travis Head, who finished as the highest run-getter for Australia at the 2026 T20 World Cup, said that the former champions "weren't good enough". He also mentioned that he was keen to make a return to red-ball cricket after spending the last few months focusing on the shortest format. Head will turn up for South Australia to play in the Sheffield Shield.

Eight of the 16 players that travelled to the global extravaganza, 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 getting underway on Thursday, March 5.

Meanwhile, white-ball specialists Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa and Ben Dwarshuis are set to play in the One-Day Cup final on March 11 when Tasmania lock horns with New South Wales at Bellerive Oval.

However, former Australian captain Steven Smith will not participate in the Sheffield Shield before heading to the Pakistan Super League in late March.

Coming back to Head, the destructive batter will only play round nine of the Sheffield Shield before traveling to India to join the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp for the impending Indian Premier League (IPL) season. So, the southpaw will miss round 10 and possibly the final, if South Australia do make it.

"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," he added.

Pat Cummins-led Australia's next assignment is a two-match Test series at home against Bangladesh in the month of August.