Cameron Green’s position in the upcoming Ashes series is uncertain. While he’s recently batted at number three, his return to bowling might necessitate a reshuffle in the Australian lineup.
Cameron Green is clouded in uncertainty about whether he will continue to bat at number three against England in the Ashes, the oldest rivalry in cricket. The lanky all-rounder confirmed that he is likely to take up the bowling duties, which will serve as a massive boost for the Baggy Greens, bolstering their bowling options before facing their arch-rival on home turf.
For Australia’s last four Tests, Green has occupied the number three spot. He donned the role during the World Test Championship final against South Africa and continued with it for the three Tests against the West Indies in the Caribbean. He featured as a pure batter and was restricted from taking the bowling responsibility as he continues rehabilitation following back surgery in October last year.
Green yet to know about his batting spot
After initially enduring a torrid run, Green embraced the new role and appeared much assured, registering scores of 4, 0, 3, 15, 26, 52, 46, and 42. While at first glance, the scores appear lean, in the context of the results, some remain priceless, especially 46 and 42 in Kingston.
The scores of 46 and 42, which came out of Green’s bat, were the second and third-highest scores in a Test which featured just four individual scores, higher than 24. Despite his ascendency, Green remains unsure about his future at number three for the Ashes, which will kick off in Perth on November 21.
“You never know. I think there’s certainly a lot of guys that can fill that role. I’m really proud that I was able to do a role up there. But, yeah, wait and see,” Green said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
If Green is dropped from his current spot, Australia will have to go through a major reshuffle. Steven Smith and Travis Head remain locked at numbers four and five. Beau Webster has made a strong case for retaining the number six spot. Usman Khawaja remains the number one choice to open as of now.
Not much to take from West Indies Test series
Sam Konstas is aware his top spot is far from confirmed. If Marnus Labuschagne, who was dropped for the West Indies tour, regains his form, he will make a strong case for his return to number three. Green claimed that there wasn’t a lot to glean from the West Indies tour, considering the nature of the surfaces.
“It was such tough wickets, especially for the batters, so to try and get out the series unscathed I think was a good effort. There wasn’t much to take away from that. I think it was just trying to survive, really, and find a way to score some runs. Yeah, I don’t think we’ll be playing on many wickets quite like that,” Green said.
Australia’s next international assignment after the third ODI against South Africa will be three T20Is in four days in New Zealand, which will begin on October 1. Following the conclusion of the series, Australia will host India for three ODIs from October 19 to 25 before five T20Is, which will run from October 29 to November 8.
Returning to bowling in Tests
Green hinted at the possibility of his focus being entirely on red-ball cricket in the lead-up to the Ashes. Western Australia will play three Sheffield Shield matches starting on October 4 against New South Wales at the WACA Ground, October 15 against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval, and October 28 against South Australia.
“In the past, it’s worked really well when I focused on Shield cricket. So I think that potentially might be the way to go down, especially with working my way back with bowling. Potentially get a few more overs over a few more days might be the best way to go about it,” Green said
“I’m not quite certain on what match [I’ll return to bowling], but I’m feeling really good, in a really good spot. It’s exciting being back bowling at a reasonable intensity. It’s been a long road back,” he added.