Technical batting tweak has Green machine purring

Cameron Green has revealed Ricky Ponting's public comments about his batting technique prompted a mid-series technique tweak that helped him finish his breakthrough Vodafone Ashes campaign in style.

Captain Pat Cummins believes Green has announced himself as one of the world's best Test allrounders after the 22-year-old put together his most complete performance in the final match of the series.

After a vital first-day 74 on a seaming Hobart track under lights, Green then sparked an almighty England collapse on Sunday by removing England's top three, with the visitors squandering the best opening partnership of the series from either team (68) by going on to lose all 10 wickets for 56 in 22.4 frantic overs.

Ponting told cricket.com.au during the Adelaide Test a month ago that Green's pre-ball trigger movement was robbing him of scoring opportunities and suggested he was preoccupied with avoiding being dismissed lbw. 

Green took note and worked on squaring up his stance, with the results immediately noticeable.

"There was a bit of a change, trying to get my foot around in my pre-ball movement," Green told cricket.com.au after he had lifted the Ashes urn to mark Australia's 4-0 series win over England. "I don't think I changed too much.

"Ricky mentioned it in the media. There's not many guys you would (rather) listen to. He's a guy I looked up to.

"He relayed that to the coaches and people I trust, and I felt like we were all on a pretty similar page. So it came about from Ricky's comments.

"I'm not sure if it unlocked (his batting) because it's still a work in progress, but it's something to think about coming up."

The intervention helped Green pick up after a slow start to just his second Test series; after averaging 14.25 in his first five innings against England, he struck a pair of 74s in Sydney and Hobart to underline his immense ability.

"I'm still trying to find that self-confidence," said Green, whose five-wicket haul on first-class debut also came in Hobart, as a 17-year-old back in 2017.

"I'm slowly starting to make my way there. A couple of fifties in the last couple of games, getting a bit more time in the middle to know my game can stand up to this level (has helped)."

When he finds that elusive self-confidence, look out.

Green is just the fourth man to top 200 runs and 10 wickets in an Ashes series before turning 23, joining elite company in Ben Stokes, Steve Waugh and Charlie Macartney.

The fact he averages over 50 in the Sheffield Shield suggests his best with the bat is likely still to come, while his confidence in his own body continues to grow after suffering multiple stress fractures in his back during his younger years.

"He grew as a batter and bowler throughout (the series) and he's as good as any allrounder in the world at the moment, I think," Cummins told reporters.

"For someone so young, as a captain I feel really lucky not only to draw on him as a bowler but when he's next into bat I just feel so calm.

"Internally we weren't worried at all about how he was going (early in this series).

"I think in himself, being young, he needed to grow and believe, and I think you saw that last week particularly, he showed he absolutely belongs at this level as a Test batter.

"And as a bowler, I think he's a genuine fourth quick. I turn to him sometimes before I turn to myself or someone else.

"He's just got that bounce, that control, incredible skills and he's been bowling so well we've only had to bowl him 10 or 15 overs an innings.

"You see him at gully as well, he's absolutely the complete package, but he is young so we have to keep looking after him.

"But (he has) a bright future ahead."

Vodafone Men's Ashes

Squads

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

England: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Sam Billings, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, 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: Australia won by 275 runs

Third Test: Australia won by an innings and 14 runs

Fourth Test: Match drawn

Fifth Test: Australia won by 146 runs