Cameron Green: The Next Australian Cricket Star Debuts

Cameron Green: The New Promise of Australian Cricket Debuts in Adelaide

The 21-year-old allrounder from Western Australia, Cameron Green, is ready to make his debut for Australia at the Adelaide Oval. His first appearance is one of the most anticipated in recent times. Let’s get to know a little more about him.

Highlighted Career

In first-class cricket, Green has proven to be exceptional. He has five centuries in 21 matches, including an impressive 197, his best score, achieved this season against New South Wales. His batting average is 55.04. A match against Queensland at the Gabba in November 2019 highlighted his potential with the bat, scoring 87 and 121, batting in positions 8 and 9. That was also the last match in which he bowled for a year. With the ball, he averages 21.72 with 33 wickets, including 5 for 24 in his first-class debut against Tasmania, against whom he also achieved his best score of 6 for 30 in 2018. Although his career in one-day matches is not as prominent, he made his ODI debut a couple of weeks ago, but has only played a handful of matches in both formats, nine in List A and T20. It is with the red (and pink) ball that he is generating great expectation.

Great Expectations

Greg Chappell has called him “the best since Ricky Ponting” in recent interviews. In June, Chappell selected him at number 6 for the Test team.

“For me, Cameron Green is the next Australian cricket superstar,” Chappell stated. “He’s a genuine prospect with both bat and ball, but I think his future is as a batsman who can offer some quality overs. Cameron is a batsman with exceptional talent. At 6 feet 7 inches, he could become something very special. I would put him to bat at number 6 to start, but I think number 4 is his long-term position. The sooner he plays at this level, the sooner he will become the player he should be.”

Greg Chappell

Overcoming Injury Concerns

A worrying moment was when he received a blow to the head from a Jasprit Bumrah delivery. Although he retired from the field and was replaced due to concussion, tests ruled out fractures. Fortunately, the blow did not cause major damage, and it seems that Green will comply with Cricket Australia’s protocols to be able to debut.

The Dream Allrounder?

Green has been limited in his overs due to a stress fracture in his back that he suffered last year. He has worked on his technique with WA bowling coach Matt Mason and has so far been limited to four-over spells. This season he has not bowled more than eight overs in a match day. However, he has shown his ability to take wickets: he claimed two in the second innings against the Indians at Drummoyne Oval. Tim Paine suggested that the bowling restrictions will be relaxed. “I think he’ll bowl a few more, once you’re selected in a Test match, you’re ready to play. That being said, we don’t expect him to bowl a huge amount of overs with the attack we have.”

An Anticipated Debut

In a way, yes. In fact, just a few weeks ago it seemed unlikely that he would be part of the team at the start of the series, despite having been named in the extended squad. However, injuries to Warner and Pucovksi have altered plans, forcing Australia to reorganize the batting order and opening a spot for Green at number 6. This doesn’t mean Green doesn’t deserve it. With his current form, he could easily be considered one of Australia’s top six batsmen, and both Justin Langer and national selector Trevor Hohns have stated that he deserves selection based on his batting alone.