"I am looking forward to the challenge" - Cameron Green on his upcoming match-up against 'world class' Joe RootÂ
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is excited about the prospect of coming up against Joe Root in the upcoming Ashes. The right-arm seam bowler dismissed the English batter twice during the 2021-22 Ashes Down Under.
The Ashes elevated Green's status as Australia's lead all-rounder in Tests. He played a vital role in the Aussies' victorious World Test Championship (WTC) campaign which culminated in a win over India in the final at The Oval.
Root, meanwhile, has scored 49 runs off 119 balls at a strike rate of 41.17 across eight Test innings against Green.
Branding Root as a certified "world-class" batter, Cameron Green said in a video released by Cricket Australia (CA):
"Obviously you want to get the best players in the world out and Joe Root is definitely that. I think it just probably came down to him thinking, ' Maybe it is a chance to score a few runs.' I was happy enough to bowl a couple of nice balls."
He continued:
"Obviously, he is a world-class player. He has dominated in England for the last couple of years. So, I am looking forward to the challenge."
Green has been in spectacular form over the last few months. He had a prolific debut season with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) and began his England tour with a solid outing in the WTC final.
"I am pretty excited that there is something that I can use over here" - Cameron Green on bowling with the Duke's ball in England
The Australian bowling unit was on point against the Indian batters and Green was among the wickets in the first innings as well. He made the ball talk and breached the defense of Cheteshwar Pujara before dismissing Shardul Thakur towards the back end of the innings.
Eager to exploit the rare swing bowling conditions on offer in England, Green said:
"Especially as a bowler, you look forward to come over here with the swing, I think normally when I bowl in Australia, it is not doing too much. So, I am pretty excited that there is something that I can use over here. A few of the guys talk about it swinging a bit too much. So I think just a skill set-up with a wobble seam, just playing around with all that I think."
Australia will take on England in the first Ashes Test from June 16 onwards at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The Aussies last won a Test series on English soil way back in 2001.
Will Cameron Green trouble Joe Root with his bowling in the Ashes? Let us know what you think.