Cameron Green is fast becoming one of Australian cricket’s whipping boys, as his form slump continues beyond the Ashes and into the T20 World Cup.
The 26-year-old only made 171 runs against England at an average of 24.43, and took four wickets from 62 overs bowled.
Now at the T20 World Cup, he made a combined total of three runs in Australia’s shock losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
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Cameron Green of Australia walks off after being dismissed. Getty
The team is on the verge of elimination from the tournament, with Green among those struggling to make an impact in the conditions.
Former Australian opener Simon Katich believes Green’s batting has been exposed on a technical level this summer.
When asked by cricket commentator Gerard Whateley if Green is “fast becoming the whipping boy of Australian cricket”, Katich found it hard to disagree.
“It’s a good question. He got through the summer by the skin of his teeth,” Katich told SEN.
“Obviously Beau Webster came in right at the end at the SCG and once again grabbed his opportunity and that extra bit of experience shone through.
“Cameron Green, it’s probably where his game is at. That’s the big question for me. We analysed it to death during the Test summer and technically there are some issues with his game and until he rectifies those with his footwork, he’s probably going to continue getting exposed under different conditions under pressure.
“The challenge for him as a big tall lad is how he’s going to get better against spin because use of the feet, and I saw it first-hand in Pakistan, a lot of the Aussie batters got exposed because they don’t want to use their feet … this is the challenge for Green moving forward, more importantly with Test cricket.
“There’s a lot of Test cricket coming up in the next 12 months. There’s massive pressure on his spot with what Webster has done and with the rest of the Shield season coming up, there’ll be a number of players who will put their hand up for that spot.”
Cameron Green unhappy with his dismissal against Pakistan. Â Twitter
Katich knows what it’s like to be an Aussie batsman in the pressure cooker.
During the 2005 Ashes, he averaged 27.55 across the five Tests in England.
He lost his spot in the XI in the aftermath, but admits it was the best thing for him in and allowed him to regain his confidence at Sheffield Shield level.
“Those of us who have been in this very situation where you’re under the pump, you haven’t made the most of your opportunities, I lived it myself during the 2005 Ashes mate, I can speak about it as well as anyone,” Katich said.
“Sometimes you just need to get out of the pressure cooker, from experience. Get back, get your game in order at the level below, and then earn the right to get back into the team.
Cameron Green walks off during the Boxing Day Test. Â Getty
“That’s what I had to go through and that didn’t do me any harm. That’s potentially what Green has to do. He hasn’t made the most of his opportunities in the last few months.
“Sometimes the best thing that can happen is to get away from it all, go back to the level below and make the most of your opportunities and then earn your spot back.”
Australia faces an absolute gauntlet of Test cricket across the back-end of 2026 and start of 2027, and Green will have to be up for the task.
They play two tests against Bangladesh in August, three in South Africa, four against New Zealand, five in India and then one against England, all between August and March.
All before another five-test Ashes tour of England later in 2027.