He recently performed a new role in T20Is.
Australia have announced the squad for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, and several notable names are absent. Mitchell Starc retired from the format, while Pat Cummins won’t be considered for all white-ball series before the Ashes 2025. Another big exclusion is Cameron Green.
Green, recently returning from back surgery, has been one of the better performers for Australia since his comeback and has scored runs consistently. He is finally performing to his true potential and has slowly established himself as a lead player across formats. He recently performed a new role in T20Is – batting at No.4 and going berserk from the first ball.
Unsurprisingly, Green nailed the position and showed the ability to maintain a high strike rate, irrespective of the situation. Since his T20I return, he has 258 runs at an average of 43 and a strike rate of 168.62 in eight outings, including three fifties. However, he was not considered for the New Zealand rubber.
Cameron Green won’t feature in the three-match T20I series against the neighbouring country to prioritise the Sheffield Shield, which will be in the early rounds at that time. He is eyeing a return to play for Western Australia to regain his bowling fitness. It’s worth noting that since returning to competitive cricket, Green has only played as a batter and not bowled to manage his back.
However, with Ashes 2025 looming, he will gradually increase his workload and start bowling again after showing no signs of discomfort. If all goes well in Australia’s domestic competition, Green will add the bowling dimension in the marquee series at home. Hence, the best way to prepare is by getting into the bowling groove beforehand, which is only possible with the Sheffield Shield.
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While he could have still bowled in New Zealand T20Is, the management might have wanted him to focus on where his bowling would be most valuable. Hence, he chose to practice in red-ball cricket because that would be the theme this summer. Bowling in multid-day formats will help him and the medical team assess whether he is ready to unleash as an all-rounder against England.
Undoubtedly, Cameron Green’s return to full fitness will balance Australia more than ever, as they look to retain the urn. The team needs him to bowl in the Ashes 2025 more than ever for multiple reasons. Firstly, Cummins’ availability for all games is unclear after scans revealed signs of lumbar bone stress, which suggests he might not be available for the full series.
While Australia have the options like Scott Boland, they would still want more options, given Cummins was their workhorse. Green’s bowling will help ease the workload on Boland and other pacers, who can be vulnerable. He might not bring the same skill sets, but the all-rounder can bowl longer spells and perform the role Cummins has been doing in recent years.
Secondly, Green has the attributes to trouble English batters on Australian decks, which are tailor-made for a bowler like him. He can bowl shorter lengths consistently, and his high release will help him generate additional bounce and make the ball climb on batters. He has the pace to get zip after pitching, and the surfaces have lately been bowling-friendly Down Under.
Green’s presence will mean Australia won’t need to play an additional specialist in the pace department and instead bring one more batter. They have had issues in the batting department, and an extra batter will help them on treacherous decks. So, no wonder Australia want Green to focus on red-ball cricket and return to bowling.
Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
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