Cameron Green is fit and ready to contribute with ball and bat, according to his head coach at Western Australia Adam Voges, as he seeks to confirm his place as an all-rounder for Australia in next week’s first Ashes Test in Perth.
The 26-year-old made the cut for Australia’s 15-man squad, but the national setup want him to bowl 15 to 20 overs for his State side in this week’s Sheffield Shield game against Queensland Bulls to prove he is up to speed ahead of the series opener.
Green has endured five stress fractures of his lower back and last bowled in a Test in March 2024, against New Zealand. Now the Perth native is hoping to prove his reworked bowling action can play a part for Australia against England by coming through Western Australia’s four-day red-ball match at the WACA, starting Tuesday.
“Cam’s going really well,” Voges told a pre-match press conference on Monday. “He’s trained strongly for the last few weeks. He probably could have bowled last game if we really needed or wanted him to, and he’s certainly going to play as an all-rounder for this game.
“He’ll bat at No 4 again for us and he’s got some overs to bowl, so (we’re) looking forward to seeing that.
“We’ve got some guidelines from Cricket Australia on (how many overs). Do I want to tell that to the world publicly? Probably not. But we’ll see how that plays out. I’ve got no doubt from what I’ve seen at training over the last few weeks that won’t be an issue.
“We saw it very briefly with the four overs he bowled and took a wicket (Green took 1-13 against New South Wales at the WACA in early October). So from that point of view, he’s ready to go.
“It’d be great to get the overs out in the middle, win a competitive game, and that’s the opportunity over this week. But I’m certainly hoping we’re talking about his batting as much as his bowling this week.”
Cameron Green bowled briefly for Western Australia against New South Wales in October (James Worsfold/Getty Images)
Green’s capacity to bowl as well as bat will have a knock-on effect for their batting lineup in Perth. If Green is unable to contribute as much with the ball, he would most likely bat at No 3 with the in-form Marnus Labuschagne, who will captain Queensland at the WACA, potentially moved into the opener’s berth.
The experienced Labuschagne, who was dropped during the tour of the West Indies earlier this year, has no qualms about where he makes his Test return.
“I will bat wherever they tell me to bat,” he told the same press conference. “Considering I’ve probably played 56 tests at No 3, that would sound right (that it’s his best spot) but I don’t mind where I’m at. It’s all about team balance. There’s more at play than just my position.”
On the differences between Green being included as a designated batter at No 3, or further down the order as an all-rounder, Labuschagne added: “We’ve got a very small sample size of him at No 3. I’ve played two innings with him there, and I don’t think we’ve had very long together those two times.
“We know the quality of player he is. We know the ability he has, that he’s got a very nice defence. For a really big, strong guy, he’s got great touch and great understanding of the game. So wherever he fits in, he’s got skill sets that can manage both spots.”
England have arrived in Perth but their preparations for the opening Test have also raised eyebrows in Australia, with a single three-day warm-up match against England’s Lions — effectively the B team — later this week their sole outing.
Meanwhile, Australia’s squad will be in competitive action across three Sheffield Shield matches — with those at the WACA enjoying the perfect chance to prepare for the opening Test challenge at Optus Stadium.
“The focus for us is to concentrate on us and make sure we’re well prepared,” added Labuschagne. “We’ve got 14 out of 15 playing this week. Guys are getting ready, they’re playing in competitive games. So that’s what we value, but we’ve done the same things on different tours where we might not play a trial game or we keep it more internal and get the preparation we need through that.
“It’s just a method they’re using but we’ll only know if it works once the series starts.”
Of the Australian players involved in the current round of Shield fixtures, Mitchell Starc took 4-91 for New South Wales against Victoria, faring better than team-mate Josh Hazlewood who managed 0-54 off 18 overs. Nathan Lyon took 2-65.
Uncapped Brendan Doggett claimed five wickets for South Australia against Tasmania, whose opener Jake Weatherald was dismissed for 23.