Australia's gentle giant turns giant-killer

Australia are convinced they have unshackled Cameron Green with the ball and turned their gentle giant into a giant-killer.

Having spent a promising last summer simply trying not to get injured at the bowling crease coming off four back injuries in as many seasons, Green has thrived on a greater role with the ball and come through with the huge wicket of Joe Root twice in two Tests.

Ricky Ponting is among those who believe the 198cm allrounder is ready to bowl even more, and with a newer ball, something Test skipper Pat Cummins flagged after their win at the Gabba.

"I'm that excited and impressed by him," spinner Nathan Lyon told cricket.com.au after Australia assumed a commanding 282-run lead at stumps on day three. "To see how big he is and the way he goes about his business – the self-belief after getting that first wicket has just gone to another level."

Green conceded earlier this week that taking his elusive maiden Test scalp after a full season was a monkey off his back.

Cummins revealed the "polite" right-armer even apologised for celebrating his dismissal of Ollie Pope, caught at fine leg by Josh Hazlewood during England's first innings in Brisbane last week, too exuberantly.

He has since found what few bowlers have this year; the outside edge of the world's leading Test batter Root, whose golden 2021 with the bat has hit a stumbling block against the towering paceman at crucial junctures both in Brisbane and Adelaide.

And the 22-year-old then did what Australia’s bowlers couldn't at Headingley two years ago and dismissed Ben Stokes amid a tail-carrying rampage.

Green, who now has five wickets at a series-leading bowling average of 10.60 and is going at just 2.12 per over, has significantly more confidence that his body can cope with the demands of Test cricket.

"You definitely doubt yourself a little bit when you go through that little start," Green told the Unplayable Podcast earlier this week about his wicket-less first Test summer.

"It definitely felt like the monkey off the back when I got that first wicket. It really felt like I could calm down and have a bit more self confidence that what I was doing was good enough.

"I don't think my bowling was at the stage (last summer) to bowl long spells consistently. The change this year has been getting the confidence in my body that I could bowl long spells and my body would get through."

Green is yet to make an impact with the bat in this series, managing scores of 0 and 2 so far, but his teammates are salivating at the prospect of him firing on both fronts. 

"It's been huge, he's obviously a fantastic talent for a young fellow – a big kid," Mitchell Starc said.

"We saw last summer how valuable he could be, when you've got a bloke who's basically seven foot who can bowl at pretty decent clicks and getting pretty decent bounce from that height.

"This summer he's come into his own again, he's taken his first wicket and has got a bit of confidence behind him and he complements the attack really well.

"He hasn't quite come off with the bat just yet but we saw some of that talent last summer and through Shield cricket, so an all-rounder of that ability who can bowl quick, get bounce, get key wickets is a huge plus for our attack."

Vodafone Men's Ashes

Squads

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

England: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Schedule

First Test: Australia won by nine wickets

Second Test: December 16-20, Adelaide Oval

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, Blundstone Arena