Australia all-rounder Cameron Green dug the team out of trouble on Day 1 of the first Test match against New Zealand. Green’s century helped Australia conclude the day on 279/9 on a green top in Wellington.
The batter remained not out at 103 off 155 balls having saved Australia from a mini-collapse.
New Zealand dominated the first hour of the game and forced Australia to lose wickets in a bunch. From 60/0, Australia were down to 89/4, in a tentative period of play. Green, alongside Mitchell Marsh built a counter-attacking partnership of 67 off 77 balls and put the pressure back on the hosts. After Marsh’s dismissal on 40, Green continued with the tail and added valuable runs on a tricky pitch.
Asked about his innings and what it means for him in the Test team, Green said that there was space for him and Marsh to play in the Test team together, despite being like for like players.
“I definitely see ourselves playing in the same team,” Green had said earlier.
“One of us could take the reins more as a bowler, or one could take it more as a batter. I think we have similar skill sets, but do it differently,” the all-rounder had said.
Green’s entry into the Test team was facilitated by David Warner’s exit from the Test team. Warner called time on his Test career after the series against Pakistan. The retirement forced a reshuffle in the Test team that saw Steve Smith open the innings and a space get created in the middle-order of the team. The all-rounder was handed the role and paid it off by scoring a brilliant century away from home.
“I was finding it quite tough out there (but) I kind of know how Mitch is going to play,” Green said at the end of the day’s play in Wellington.
“We have obviously played quite of lot of times with each other in Western Australia and I knew he was going to play his shots and that is probably what you needed to do out there,” he further added.
Australia will begin Day 2 of the first Test on 279/7. Josh Hazlewood will partner Cameron Green for the final wicket.
