Cameron Green will need to warrant selection as an all-rounder if he is to debut for Australia in their upcoming limited-overs series, but the young gun’s batting alone could soon earn him a baggy green.
Green is the youngest member of Australia’s Test squad, having also been picked in the white-ball squad on the basis of his sparkling Sheffield Shield form.
National selectors are understandably excited about the 21-year-old, who is capable of bowling express pace and recently scored 197 against NSW.
They are equally cautious about his bowling workload.
Green suffered a back-stress fracture a year ago and only recently returned to the bowling crease for Western Australia.
The youngster will slowly but surely step up his workload in the nets while training with the limited-overs squad in Sydney ahead of Australia’s ODI series opener against India on November 27.
“In one-day cricket he’ll only play if he can bowl a few overs because that’s how we’ll set up the team,” national coach Justin Langer said.
“He hasn’t had the white-ball experience to come in as a pure batsman, but he can bowl a few overs, my gosh he becomes a good prospect.
“But Test cricket is different. He’s earned the right to play Test cricket on his batting.
“I love watching him bat. For such a tall batsman, he’s got so much time.”
Langer also heaped praise on uncapped batsman Will Pucovski, who like Green is considered an unlikely starter in the first Test as Australia leans towards backing the incumbent top six.
Green, who legend Greg Chappell described as the best batting talent he’d seen since Ricky Ponting, suggested last week he would head into the squad with an open mind about what is possible this summer.
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“The results I’ve had in four-day cricket are definitely a lot better than what I have shown in T20s,” Green said.
“If I don’t play, I’ll get a lot of experience and hopefully take a lot out of it.
“There’s probably no better place to keep learning and evolving your game than around world-class coaches and players.”
AAP
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