Australia admit World Cup gamble after 'distressing' injury

Australia skipper Aaron Finch admitted they were taking a risk after not calling up another wicketkeeper for their Twenty20 World Cup defence starting on Saturday.

The hosts lost back-up keeper Josh Inglis in bizarre circumstances this week after he badly cut his hand when the golf club he was playing with snapped.

Australia replaced him in their squad with talented all-rounder Cameron Green, leaving them with no specialist replacement for first-choice gloveman Matthew Wade.

The skipper said that veteran David Warner would most likely step up and take the gloves if need be and had done a bit of practice on Thursday.

"We're taking the risk and not going with the extra keeper, which obviously has a degree of risk to it," said Finch on the eve of their clash in Sydney against New Zealand, a repeat of last year's final.

Green is mainly in as cover and will not play against New Zealand in the first match of the Super 12 stage, Finch said, adding: "We feel as though Cam gives us a little bit better balance to the squad."

Finch admitted that Australia were resistant to the idea of not having a reserve keeper and that it was a case of "touch wood".

"That's definitely a risk, there's no doubt about that," said Finch, who will open the batting against New Zealand but put off naming his team.

Finch said that he was with the 27-year-old Inglis when he badly hurt his hand on Wednesday, in what was supposed to be a relaxing round of golf for the squad.

"That was a freak accident," he said. "I was playing in Josh's group and I feel so bad for him.

"We didn't realise the club broke, we just thought he hit it poorly, and he looked down and there's blood everywhere.

"It was pretty distressing there for a little bit."

There is a high chance of rain for the match on Saturday but Finch said that would not fluster the hosts.

"You do put so much time and effort into planning for all scenarios and you have to be flexible," he said.

"The thing about rain is how much it affects the game -- if it's two overs it doesn't make much of a difference.

"If it's a five-over game that makes a huge amount of difference."

Warner plans to keep playing

Veteran Australia opener David Warner said Friday he plans to still be playing Twenty20 internationals for the 2024 World Cup, but will assess his Test future over the next year.

Warner, who will be 36 next week, has been ever-present at the top of the order for more than a decade, bar a one-year ban for ball-tampering in 2018, playing 96 Tests, 138 ODIs and 95 T20s.

He told The Sydney Morning Herald he had no plans to call it quits yet, with his immediate focus on Australia's defence of their T20 world title starting Saturday against New Zealand in Sydney.

"I'll keep playing T20s. I'll look to try and get to the 2024 World Cup," he said, referring to the event being co-hosted by the United States and West Indies.

"And I've got my goal set on playing next year in the 50-over World Cup (in India).

"So for now we'll see how much Test cricket I've got left in me after this summer coming up and winter away. From there that will make up my mind whether I'll continue to play Test cricket and all three forms."

Warner made his T20 debut in 2009, the same year he first played an ODI, with his Test career beginning two years later, becoming one of cricket's finest all-format players.

He said fitness was key to his longevity, rather than constantly trying to hone his batting skills.

"I don't work too much on my skills these days, I work harder on keeping as fit as I can and keeping as agile as I can. They're the most important things," he said.

"I think the longevity in the game is an important thing. If you want to play all three forms, you've got to remain fit and strong. And I've managed to do that."