Cameron Green faces a race against time to prepare for the opening test against India on February 9th. Building a bowling job is the biggest challenge as he recovers from the broken finger he received at the MCG against South Africa.
Green has been in Australia training his camp in Sydney for the past two days and has made steady progress, but the series opener in Nagpur may come too soon. He plans to see the surgeon again on Monday, a month after his injury, in hopes of being told the bone has healed.
Early in Green’s career it became clear that he was a rhythm-benefiting cricketer who regularly played long form. got better between He broke his finger after taking five wickets against South Africa in Melbourne, but still went on a 50 unbeaten run. Australian head coach Andrew MacDonald said, “Where he is now, bowling is his biggest challenge. “There’s a shortage of cargo there, which is one of the main reasons we go to this camp early. One is to make sure your bowling unit is prepared to face the rigors involved.
“It’s important to build trust and make sure he’s ready and has enough time to succeed in his first friendly.”
However, when Green’s bowling goes wrong, he is considered a specialist hitter. His ability to learn quickly has been demonstrated on the subcontinent last year, especially in Lahore and Galle where he spent a significant half-century.
“We appreciate his hitting first and foremost. He’s our top six hitter and his bowling is a bonus. It’s a very nice bonus,” McDonald said.
But Green is crucial to leveling the Australian team. If he is unable to bowl (or play), the selectors will have to decide whether to reinforce Tempo’s traditional strength with a balance of two speeds, two spinners, as they did in SCG vs. South Africa. speed. Green can’t bowl, but McDonald has pretty much ruled out he plays three specialty spinners.
If Green was not named All-Batsman, Matt, who played for SCG, Renshaw and Peter He Handscom would enter the field at his No. 6. “We see him (Handscom) as an important right-hand option,” McDonald said. “We have a lot of left-handers and I feel we have some good options if there are later changes or if Cameron Green doesn’t do his first test.”
Australia’s other major injury problem, Mitchell Stark, is on schedule for his second test in Delhi on February 17th, but now he’s out of action. It is believed to depart earlier than originally planned.
Stark also suffered an injury to his finger on his MCG and still bowls defensively in practice, which is not allowed in the game. He’s almost back on top pace, which McDonald described as “amazing,” but there’s a solid timeframe for his recovery. However, unlike greens, the workload can be increased during training.
“The guard needs to go on. Really protect against blows that re-injure that ligament,” McDonald said. “Therefore, we have a clear deadline to mitigate this risk.
“Honestly, I can’t rush this. I think Mitch is feeling good and irritated. But the good thing is that if he derails, all the workloads will be up to date and the second test will take quite a while. This is good news for us.
Many players who were or are still participating in the BBL did not attend his short camp. That included David Warner, who admitted on Saturday that he was exhausted after a busy season, but instead of worrying about it, McDonald praised the honesty. look .
“I think it’s fair and reasonable whenever a player voices it,” he said.
“It’s been a long summer of testing. He had some off-field issues that took some effort and mental energy out of him. And he made time for the big bash. Australian cricket during the big bash I think he did a great job with the other players representing the team. I think that was a really positive sign.
“Our challenge is to get him into that first friendly, unlike other series where players come in different stages of fatigue.”