Cameron Green has hinted that his ugly dismissal in Brisbane won’t change his approach to short-pitched bowling in the Ashes series, despite criticism from the likes of David Warner that was echoed around the cricket world. Green had done brilliantly to get to 45 on day two of the pink-ball Test, before throwing his wicket away in a moment of madness in Brisbane.
The Aussie all-rounder had a plan to counter England’s short-ball barrage by moving away from his stumps and giving himself space to despatch the tourists through the off-side. But the ploy backfired in ugly fashion when Green was clean-bowled by England quick Brydon Carse, who pitched one on the stumps and caught Green in no-man’s land with his stumps fully exposed.
Cameron Green (L) copped some heat from former teammate David Warner (R). Image: Getty
Green’s wicket sparked a mini Australian batting collapse, with Steve Smith removed moments later after a superb one-handed catch from Will Jacks, before Josh Inglis was also sent packing. And it prompted a scathing assessment of Green’s batting, with Warner one of the most vocal critics of the 26-year-old.
“It’s baffling, you’re six-and-a-half foot tall, it’s ridiculous to keep moving around like that and playing white-ball style cricket,” Warner told Fox Cricket. “But when you’re so far away from your stumps, if he does (bowl) at the stumps you’re not going to be able to reach it, which was his downfall. Every single ball, if you showed the bowler back, anyone with half a brain would go at the stumps.”
Cameron Green responds to ’embarrassing’ Gabba dismissal
Green admitted after arriving in Adelaide for the third Test that the ugly dismissal left him feeling a “little embarrassed”. And the Aussie No.6 was seen sporting strapping on his left thumb, after being hit by a Carse short ball earlier in the innings.
But he suggested the incident wouldn’t change his approach, if the situation and England’s short-ball tactics presented him the opportunity again in the third Test. The boundaries at Adelaide are some 10 metres shorter square of the wicket than at the Gabba, but considerably longer straight down the ground. And Green hinted that he could look to adopt a similar ploy to England’s short-ball tactics.
Australia all-rounder Cameron Green says he could take a similar approach to England’s short-ball tactics in Adelaide despite his ugly dismissal in Brisbane. Pic: Getty
“It’s very game-dependent,” he told reporters in Adelaide. “Potentially Adelaide Oval with shorter square boundaries, maybe you’re looking to take it on more than potentially at the Gabba with really long square boundaries.
“It’s game dependent, it depends on how we’re going. I think we were 30 or 40 runs behind. Was the extra runs really crucial at night? Maybe, maybe not. “It’s all those things that you weigh up during an innings to work out what the best thing is for the team.”
Australia all-rounder Cameron Green has offered a bullish take on his ugly dismissal in the second Ashes Test after criticism from the likes of David Warner. Pic: Getty/Fox Cricket
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However, Green was quick to admit that when it doesn’t work out, it can make you look a bit silly – like he discovered in Brisbane. “It looks quite bad when you get out. You walk off a little bit embarrassed. But I think they’re all really great learnings for future games.”
Green joined his Aussie teammates for a lengthy hit-out with the bat in Adelaide on Sunday, with skipper Pat Cummins among them as he gets set to return from a back injury for his first Test of the series. Australia can retain the urn with a third-straight win in Adelaide and the captain’s expected inclusion will be a major boost for the hosts.
with AAP