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‘My body is in really good place....’: Cameron Green on bowling during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green said that his body is in great shape, where he can contribute well as a bowler and is happy to be a genuine all-round option for his side.
Green's statement comes when the skipper Pat Cummins said that the bowling workload of all-rounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh will be raised more during the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India at home later this year, to help the mainstay trio of Cummins-Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood sustain themselves throughout what promises to be an intense battle.
The much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy will commence with the first Test--a day match--at Perth Stadium from November 22 to November 26, setting the tone for the series. India has won its last two series in Australia, held in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
In the last season, Australia played an unchanged frontline bowling attack for seven Tests against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand. None of these matches reached the fifth day and only in three innings, Australia had to bowl more than 78 overs. These factors kept Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc fresh and active for the entirety of the season.
Green provided Australia with an additional pace bowling option when he returned during the West Indies series, but only bowled 42 overs across the next four Tests, playing mainly as a number four batter when Steve Smith moved up to the opening slot following David Warner's retirement.
"It is been huge having the allrounders. In some ways, we have not had to use them as much as we thought we would. Which is a great thing. The last couple of summers have been pretty light [with] quick Test matches," said Cummins as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
"I suspect this summer might be a bit different at the time. We will be drawing on Cam Green and Mitch Marsh a bit more. Even someone like Cam basically started in Shield cricket as a bowler but has not had to bowl heaps in Test matches. Now he is a few years older, I think we will be leaning on him a bit more," he added.
Green has taken 35 wickets in Tests at an average of 35.31 and has a five-wicket haul as well. The young all-rounder was moved into the number four slot and he scored a magnificent 174 against NZ at Wellington to showcase what he could offer there. For the BGT series, there seems to be uncertainty about Australia's top six, with Smith being largely underwhelming as an opener for the past few months. But it is more or less fixed that Marsh and Green will be a part of the top six.
Now, in a chat with cricket.com.au, Green said that he currently has no plans to give a backseat to his twin skills of batting and bowling, rather, he wants to continue as a genuine all-rounder for a while.
"I have thought about it as an 'in 10 years' time sort of thing'," the 25-year-old told cricket.com.au on being asked if he would give up or cut down on his bowling.
"But definitely at the moment, I am very happy to contribute as much as I can. Physically I am in a really good place to be able to do that. We always laugh and joke between me and Mitch about who bowls those graveyard overs between the 70th and the 80th overs when the ball is not doing anything. We'll wait and see how we do it this summer."
"But now my body's in a really good place where I feel like I can contribute with bowling. Down the track, it is an option but at the moment I am very happy to be a genuine allrounder," Green concluded his point.
The young all-rounder is also aiming to establish himself as a regular in the white-ball setup, considering he is still a fringe player in ODIs and T20Is for Australia. Though he said that a break from white-ball cricket ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will help and he loves playing for Western Australia in red-ball cricket, he wants to play for Australia always, in all formats. He is also named in the Australian squad for the white-ball series tour of the UK next month, with the ICC Champions Trophy coming next year in Pakistan.
"Having an extended break (from white-ball cricket) before a Test tour, it is going to help for sure. I really enjoyed doing it last year and there is potentially a chance to do it again this year," said Green.
"I love playing for WA, playing Shield cricket is awesome, I think it is the best preparation you can have for a Test tour. But at the same time, you always want to play for Australia, especially when there always seems to be a World Cup or a Champions Trophy just around the corner."
"If you decide to not do a white-ball series, is it going to hurt your chances for the Champions Trophy, for example? There is always these things you have got to weigh up. So it is still up in the air," he concluded.
The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium's lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.
The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test, taking place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.