Star Australian all-rounder Cameron Green has had a gradual return to cricket since his major back injury. He was available for Australia from the World Test Championship (WTC) final as a pure batter. However, with the Ashes less than 50 days away, Green has started to gradually increase his workload to be available as a proper all-rounder in the marquee series.
Green will be playing three Sheffield Shield games before the first Ashes Test, and he believes he will be ready to deliver as an all-rounder. If he bats in the top order then the workload on his bowling will be slightly less.
Here`s what Cameron Green was quoted as saying to cricket.com.au by ANI:
“That has been the plan the whole year. That is why it has been such a slow build-up, so that you are peaking by the time the Ashes comes around.”
Green gave the example of Shane Watson and explained how the all-rounder often turned up with the ball despite batting in the top order. On this, he stated:
“There have been guys who have done it. Shane Watson used to open the batting and bowl. People probably do not realise how tough that was. Spending so long in the field bowling and then being expected to go out there and bat the last 10 overs of the day is really challenging. I am in a bit of a different place (to Watson). Let us say I am batting up the top, and Beau`s batting six, for example, maybe he might take more of the (bowling) load.”
Cameron Green was also grateful that there was no major cricketing event in the past 12 months that helped him recover in time for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. With a gradually increasing workload, Green is keen to continue his build-up to being available as an all-rounder.
“The beauty of the 12 months was that there was no really important cricket before then, so it just gave me a really good opportunity, a bit of a clean slate, to get that really right. If there was a World Cup six months post-surgery, you might try and rush back for that, but the beauty was that I had so much time to get it right,” Green concluded.
(With ANI Inputs)