Cameron Green shines with the ball for Australia
All-rounder Cameron Green proved himself to be a pure fast bowling asset for Australia during their thumping victory over England in the first Ashes Test.
Green was restricted to bowling five-over spells last summer to manage his back injury, which rendered him wicketless for the entire series against India. But in just one Test so far this summer, Green has upped his workload, refined his clinical action (which saw peak bowling speeds of 142.6km/h), worked in tandem with other bowlers and picked up key wickets.
Green's match figures of 3/29 off 15 overs were lauded by both senior and past players, who billed him as a generational player for Australia.
That maiden Test wicket feeling 😄
Cameron Green 🌟
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England's batting line-up could only muster a survival of 50.1 overs in the first innings, but a proactive captain in Pat Cummins still saw an opportunity to bring the young fourth seamer on to bowl.
There he took his first Test wicket by removing Ollie Pope in the 43rd over, whose score of 35 was arguably the most promising knock for England. Green finished with 1/6 off three overs (one maiden) in the first innings.
The opening bowling exchanges between Nathan Lyon and Cameron Green on Day 4 all but ended the Test match as they made short work of three English wickets in the morning session. Lyon took his 400th Test wicket to remove Dawid Malan (82) before Green pounced, catching Joe Root's outside edge and removing him for 89.
Bowling a tight line outside the off stump, Green troubled Root by enticing an uncommitted forward-defence from the 30-year old, before it swung away and caught a faint edge on the way to wicket-keeper Alex Carey.
The two-metre tall quick arguably took the most important wicket of the innings again by sending the England captain back to the sheds. He later returned to take the wicket of Chris Woakes and finished with 2/23 off 12 overs (three maidens) in the second innings.
Massive! Cameron Green strikes!
His second Test wicket is Joe Root! 🔥
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But Green also showed his worth with a hard-fought effort on Day 3 as Joe Root and Dawid Malan were in the midst of their 162-run third wicket stand. He held up an end, bowled a tight line and didn't give away any cheap runs. His performances were especially appreciated in the wake of Josh Hazlewood's absence from the bowling crease due to injury concerns.
It was a character-defining display, reminiscent of the first-class bowling average of 20.70 he housed early on in his career. His travails almost brought about the wicket of Joe Root on the last ball of Day 3 in the same fashion before he eventually picked him up the next morning.
Batting at No. 6, Green had a forgettable moment with the bat as he shouldered arms to a length delivery only to hear the sound of his stumps rattle behind him— clean bowled first ball by Ollie Robinson.
Green averages 51.66 with the bat in first-class cricket and has already amassed eight hundreds, showing enough to be a long-term batting prospect in his own right. However, his revelations with the ball in this Test have given us a glimpse of Australia's ongoing search for a genuine fast bowling all-rounder ever since the retirement of Shane Watson.
Australian captain Pat Cummins said there was a lot to like about Green as he grows into an important member of the side as Australia's fourth fast bowling option:
"Everything I was hearing was positive. There was a lot of chat a couple years ago that he was one of the next best quicks... really hard working. But then he started churning out hundreds. It's huge for us to have (him) in our team. Not only an all-rounder, but he is a genuine fourth quick. He's a Huge asset for us... bowls 140.... bounce," Cummins said speaking to the media after Day 4.
Brett Lee, one of Australia's greatest ever fast bowlers, had plenty of praise for the 22 year-old as well:
“He’s 22 years of age and you’re nowhere near your peak at 22, that’s the thing, he’s got so much more left in the tank. As his body finishes growing and when he understands his body and how much more he can get out of it, the follow through, he can get another 5-10kph easily. I reckon he can bowl high 140s, he’s got good height, beautiful seam position, shapes the ball away, looks like a terrific guy, he’s good in the gully region, he bats well. Tick, tick, tick. Australia have finally found that guy that can come in and do that job,” he said speaking to Fox Cricket.
Australia will be looking to maximize the benefits of having four genuine quicks as they head into the second Test in Adelaide, which is due to commence on Thursday (December 16).