Cameron Green admits he is still unsure where he will bat when England arrive later this year, but the all-rounder expects his first competitive overs since back surgery to come in Sheffield Shield cricket rather than Australia’s looming white-ball fixtures.
Green, 26, operated as a specialist batter during June’s World Test Championship final and the three Tests in the Caribbean. Thrust in at first drop, he managed 4, 0, 3 and 15 before settling a touch with 26, 52, 46 and 42. Those latter efforts carried extra weight inside the dressing-room: in Kingston only four players reached 25, and Green supplied two of them.
For all that, the No.3 spot remains fluid. Speaking in Mackay ahead of the second ODI against South Africa, Green left selection questions to others. “You never know,” Green said. “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.”
If selectors shuffle the order, the implications cascade through the top six. Steven Smith and Travis Head appear nailed on at four and five, while Beau Webster has already acknowledged the pressure on his No.6 place once Green is bowling again. Usman Khawaja’s opening berth seems safe, yet Sam Konstas is under scrutiny after a lean Caribbean tour and Tasmania’s Jake Weatherald has been, in George Bailey’s words, “in the mix”. Marnus Labuschagne also needs runs after a patchy 18 months.
Green was quick to defend teammates scarred by low, tacky pitches in the West Indies. “It was such tough wickets, especially for the batters, so to try and get out the series unscathed I think was a good effort,” he said. “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.”
While his batting position is a talking point, Green’s bigger priority is sending down overs again following his October surgery. He has been easing through spells in the nets since June but was restricted to batting roles in the recent T20Is and during the ongoing three-match ODI series.
“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,” he said. That programme points towards letting the ODI and T20I series against India pass while he tops up workloads with Western Australia in the Shield ahead of the Ashes opener at Perth in November.
Analytically, it is a sensible path. Green bowls around 135kph, leaning on bounce rather than pure pace, and his height can strain the lower back. Shield cricket offers controlled spells, red-ball rhythms and familiar sports-science staff, all lower risk than the stop-start demands of limited-overs travel. It also grants national selectors recent evidence of bowling form when they finalise combinations for the Ashes.
Australia’s seam attack is crowded. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood remain first choice, Scott Boland hovers, Lance Morris is fit again and Nathan Lyon’s return from a calf injury restores spin. If Green delivers even 10 to 12 overs a day, the side gains flexibility: two genuine pacers plus Green and Lyon allows an extra batter, or three quicks with Green gives Cummins an extended pace battery.
That versatility explains why the hierarchy is happy to wait. Batting at three may yet fall to Green, Labuschagne or a specialist opener sliding down. For now, the West Australian prefers to tick off bowling milestones, trusting his batting will sort itself.
The immediate schedule sees Australia complete the South Africa ODIs before facing India across T20Is and ODIs in October. Whether Green appears in those matches, or opts for the quieter Shield option, the next month should reveal. Either way, he enters the home summer determined to be a genuine all-rounder again, not merely a tall top-order bat who fields at gully.
