Australia's Cameron Green Eyes Final Test Spot in Cape Town
Cape Town, October 25: Australia all-rounder Cameron Green has admitted he is surprised by how swiftly a stomach muscle injury has healed. He has confirmed he is available for the third and final Test against South Africa, a match that will decide the series currently level at 1-1.
Green was hurt during the ODI series between the two teams and had been sidelined since. The 27-year-old, however, returned to the nets at Newlands Cricket Ground before the series decider. That has put him in contention for selection for the Test, which begins on Tuesday.
Reflecting on his recovery, Green said the speed of his healing had caught him off guard. “I'm quite amazed that it healed so fast, and that I feel so much better only a few weeks on. It was truly strange. I believe the initial injury and the muscle problem that followed are clearly related. I don't think it's random at all.”
He described the moment he was hurt in detail. “I got injured in a spot nobody wants to be hit. Two balls later I went to play a shot behind the wicket and my muscle strained. My body simply wasn't ready to move after the first injury. It's a very rare case. Hardly anyone has come back to play after only a few weeks. The medical staff didn't have a lot of knowledge about it either, but I am fully prepared for the final match.”
Australia took the opening Test in Durban by 214 runs. South Africa levelled the series at Gqeberha, winning the second Test by an innings and 31 runs.
Green was part of the Australian squad that lost the World Test Championship final to South Africa at Lord's last year. He batted at number three in that match. He said the experience had taught him a great deal about the challenges posed by the South African pace attack.
“It was undoubtedly a hard experience, and it was unusual to play South Africa in England with the Duke ball,” he said. “I learned a lot from it, including some tough lessons. Their attack is so good that you need to be at your very best no matter where you bat. Top order batting is really difficult. Their openers bowl superbly with the new ball, so you have to work very hard, especially early on.”
Green has batted anywhere between numbers three and eight since his Test debut in 2020. Asked which position suits him best, he chose the middle order. During the home series against Bangladesh, he batted at number five and was the leading run-scorer in the two-Test series, hitting a century and a fifty.
“I've got a lot of experience batting up and down the order,” he noted. “I think I fit in well at four and five. We've had some excellent players in those spots. So I'm comfortable moving up or down depending on what the team needs, and I'm happy with that.”