Australia could have to include coaching staffs to play World Cup warm-ups

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Australia will be literally shorthanded for their two T20 World Cup warm-up matches as players who were involved late into the IPL are given a short break at home before heading to West Indies.

They are set to have just nine players available for the match against Namibia on Tuesday, with their resources further stretched by captain Mitchell Marsh not yet ready to bowl following the hamstring injury that ended his IPL campaign. Australia will face co-hosts West Indies on Thursday.

It means that Australia will likely need to call on members of the coaching staff to field during the warm-up matches if they want a full complement. Brad Hodge has joined the support staff for this tournament while head coach Andrew McDonald, national selector George Bailey and assistant coach Andre Borovec could also be called in.

Daniel Vettori, another assistant coach, will also be part of the group after the IPL where he has been head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad but would not be eligible to field in warm-up matches with those used having to come from the country involved.

"It's important to be flexible. Guys have been at the IPL. They've been playing a lot of cricket so we've prioritized giving them a couple of days at home, see their family, refresh and play the long game for this tournament. We'll get to our 15 eventually but it's really important that we give them a break, even if it's [just] a couple of days at home." Marsh told cricket.com.au.

Pat Cummins, Travis Head, and Mitchell Starc, who were involved in the IPL final on Sunday, will briefly return to Australia before joining the World Cup squad. Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green, who were part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's run to the playoffs, are also spending time at home.

These five players are due to arrive when the Australia squad reaches Barbados ahead of their first group match against Oman on June 5. Additionally, Marcus Stoinis has yet to arrive in the Caribbean.