Energised Green capitalises on 'silver lining' in Shield return

Allrounder Cameron Green has further thickened the Test selection plot while also helping rescue Western Australia with an imperious 96 against Queensland in the Marsh Sheffield Shield at the Gabba in Brisbane.

In his first red-ball innings since the fourth Ashes Test in July and just a few net sessions after touching down from World Cup duties in India last week, Green looked well prepared from the moment he walked out to face a Bulls attack with its tail up.

Soon after, WA slipped to 3-29 but the imposing Green, who averages more than 60 in first-class cricket at No.4 – where he has batted most of his career for WA – took control, putting on 170 with century-maker Hilton Cartwright.

And while he fell four runs short of a 10th first-class hundred – brilliantly caught at a floating slip by Michael Neser off Mark Steketee – it was nonetheless a significant statement from the prodigiously talented batter.

Green was overlooked for much of Australia's triumphant World Cup campaign but insists he has benefited from the time off. After hitting a maiden Test hundred against India in March, his form tapered off during the Ashes when he was hampered by injury and then ultimately dropped for the fifth Test as Mitchell Marsh made a sparkling return to the side.

"Potentially around the Ashes I was feeling a bit flat, I was playing a lot, but the last month or so I haven't played as much, so I've got a lot of energy and I couldn't wait to get here to play a Shield game," he said. 

"It's been in the back of my mind for a month now … when you're not playing, your mind switches to what's next.

"There's always a silver lining when you don't get picked, and it was a good chance to improve my game, which I haven't had a chance to do in a long time through playing a lot. It was nice to get the rewards today."

At the same venue where he scored a career-best 251 in March 2021, Green's shot-making was reminiscent of that innings, particularly his driving, and the right-hander will doubtless have convinced selectors he is well placed should they wish to find room for him alongside Marsh for the Test summer opener against Pakistan on December 14 in Perth.

"He's a special talent," Marsh said on Wednesday. "He's already knocked down the door, I've just popped my head up for a little while … hopefully we can play a lot of cricket together at some stage."

When that might be appears to hinge on several moving parts, not least whether selectors opt to continue with David Warner through the Pakistan series, with the veteran opener having stated he plans to retire from Test cricket after the New Year's Test in Sydney.

Captain Pat Cummins was unwilling to confirm Warner's inclusion for the first Test when asked about it this week, while on Tuesday, head coach Andrew McDonald offered examples of No.3 batters – such as Test great Justin Langer – making successful transitions to opener.

Such a move for the incumbent number three, Marnus Labuschagne, could see a middle-order spot open up for Green. Asked today whether he felt the position suited him, he said: "Yeah it does. I think I can play my natural game.

"It's always nice batting up the order and I've done it through my junior career and I've done it for WA," he added. "I've always wanted to bat higher, but obviously you've got to put runs on the board and we've got quite a few guys in the Australian team making runs.

"But yeah, you always want to bat higher."

Green admitted he gets "maybe an inkling" that Australia's brains trust sees him as a long-term figure in the Test side and also pointed out McDonald's willingness to experiment with his position in the order across the formats, having been handed an opportunity to open the batting in T20Is.

"'Ron' (McDonald) is awesome, he loves challenging you with different things," he said. "I got thrown to opening in India for the T20s, I'd never done that before, and it's a really fluid Australian team – I feel like a lot of guys can bat anywhere."

Sheffield Shield 2023-24 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Drawn D	No results N/R	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 Western Australia Men WA	10	5	2	3	0	0	5.53	9.4	47.93
2 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	10	5	2	3	0	0	6.06	8.3	47.36
3 NSW Men NSW	10	4	3	3	0	0	6.31	9	42.31
4 Victoria Men VIC	10	4	4	2	0	0	4.74	8.2	38.94
5 South Australia Men SA	10	3	6	1	0	0	5.19	9.3	33.49
6 Queensland Bulls QLD	10	2	6	2	0	0	3.54	8.3	25.84

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points