Australia's T20 World Cup campaign has been hit by a double injury blow, with Phoebe Litchfield and Ashleigh Gardner ruled out of the upcoming match against Bangladesh. Litchfield, who impressed with a 24-ball 50 in the opener against South Africa, suffered an acute quad injury during her innings at Old Trafford, ruling her out for the next three games. This setback comes on top of her pre-tournament quad 'awareness' issue, which caused her to sit out warm-up matches in Cardiff. Gardner, on the other hand, will miss the Bangladesh match with a sprained ankle. The changes to the team have forced a re-jig of the batting order, with Ellyse Perry shifting up to Litchfield's usual position at No.3, and Grace Harris slotting in at No.4. Australia's local knowledge at Headingley will be an advantage, with players like Litchfield, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, and Nicola Carey having played for the Leeds-based Northern Superchargers in The Hundred. Sutherland expressed her excitement about playing at Headingley, calling it a 'beautiful place to play cricket' and a 'pretty good place to bat'. Bangladesh, meanwhile, has made two changes to their lineup, with off-spinner Sultana Khatun and left-arm spinner Nahida Akter coming in for Sanjida Akther Maghla and Fariha Islam Trisna. The Aussies will be confident after keeping an eye on Bangladesh's recent game against the Netherlands, which they chased down a target of 140. With the tournament schedule ahead, Australia's Group 1 fixtures are set, and all matches will be broadcast on Amazon's Prime Video. The team's focus now shifts to the upcoming games, with a blockbuster showdown against India at Lord's on June 28, and potential semi-final and final matches at The Oval.
