Star all-rounder Cameron Green could be forced to miss Australia’s opening Test against South Africa, starting in Durban on October 9, as he continues his recovery from an abdominal strain.
A report in The West Australian on Monday said if Green doesn’t play the first Test at Kingsmead, it hands a potential look into the playing eleven for his Western Australian teammate, batting all-rounder Cooper Connolly.
Green sustained the injury while playing a hook shot during the third ODI against the Proteas and has been in a race against time to regain match fitness. Green, 27, was absent from Australia’s two-day warm-up fixture in Potchefstroom and was restricted to minor physical conditioning work on the sidelines. As per the report, Green could be targeting the second or third Test for his return to action.
The setback is particularly frustrating for the Australian selectors as Green had also been nursing a sore shoulder through the recent ODI series, which limited his bowling workload. The latest abdominal strain impacts his batting, bowling, and fielding capabilities, thus depriving Australia of a key balance provider in their playing eleven.
Green had been in fine touch with the bat – having registered a Test century against Bangladesh in Darwin, and finished as one of the standout batters in that series alongside Steve Smith.
Green’s potential absence firmly places Connolly in line for a potential second Test appearance after making his debut in Sri Lanka early last year. The Durban pitch, historically expected to offer assistance to slow bowlers, could favour Connolly’s inclusion as a spin-all-rounder who offers handy left-arm orthodox bowling option alongside his middle-order batting.
Green’s injury also guarantees Beau Webster a spot in the playing eleven, while wicketkeeper-batter Sam Harper and veteran Nic Maddinson were brought into the Australian Test squad last week.
But the inclusion of the 34-year-old Maddinson, who last played Test cricket a decade ago and has been out of red-ball action for 18 months, has drawn sharp criticism from former Australian speedster Mitchell Johnson.
Writing in his column for The West Australian, Johnson termed the selection ‘difficult to justify.’ “If Cam Green is unavailable, Matthew Renshaw or Cooper Connolly should remain ahead of Maddinson. They were included in the original squad and should have a clearer position in the selection order,” he wrote.
