Ahead of their crucial, and even legacy-defining tour of India for some players, Australia are fretting over their star all-rounder Cameron Green’s finger injury that could render him to bowl less than the Aussies would have wanted him.
On the 5 Tests during Australia’s tour of Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year, Green played in four of them as the third seamer for Australia. This was likely to be the plan for the Aussies for the upcoming 4 Tests in India.
However, a finger injury that he sustained during the MCG Test against South Africa – in which he took a five-wicket haul – in December remains the “biggest” worry for Pat Cummins and head coach Allan Donald and the young all-rounder faces a race against time to be bowling fit for the first Test in Nagpur, starting on February 9.
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Green and all India bound Test players are currently taking part in a preparatory camp in Sydney. Green will se his surgeon on Monday for an update on his injured bone.
“Where he’s positioned at the moment, his biggest challenge is bowling,” Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “There is a lack of loading there, and one of the key reasons around us getting into this camp early is to make sure that we’re ready to go for the rigours of what the bowling unit [is] going to encompass.
“Building confidence is the main thing, setting him up to succeed in that first Test match, having enough time, that will be the critical question.”
McDonald, though, all but confirmed that even if Green is not fit enough to bowl, he will start in the line-up as a batsman, and he’s impressed by Green’s progress as a batter over the past year.
“We value his batting first and foremost really, he’s a batter in our top six and we value that, his bowling is a bonus. A very nice bonus,” McDonald said.
That would mean, however, that Australia don’t go in with a third spinner, and bank on the likes of Smith, Labuschagne, and Head to roll their arm over.
If indeed, Australia don’t opt for Gren as a pure batter at number 6, they have options in Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb, both of whom have had experience in India last time.
