McDonald, Cummins show faith in Green at No. 4

Cameron Green won't be shifted from the No.4 position in the Australian batting order with the spot to make his own, says Andrew McDonald.

Green was the second highest scorer (42) for Australia in the second innings of their eight-run loss to West Indies in Brisbane, enduring some high-quality fast bowling on the third evening and fourth afternoon.

The 24-year-old returned to the team for the first time since being dropped during the 2023 Ashes series when he was picked last week in Adelaide, returning scores of 14 there and eight in the first innings at the Gabba.

And Australia head coach McDonald said Green will take some time to establish himself at No.4, a position he has batted plenty in the Marsh Sheffield Shield but not yet for Australia.

"I think if you've watched his innings at Shield and international level, he can start slow," McDonald told reporters on Sunday evening.

"That's something he's working on. It takes him a while to get his movements in sync at times, but that's no different to any other batter.

"But once he's up and going, and moving well, it's a pretty good sight.

"We're not in the in the mood to change the batting order.

"We feel like as a collective that unit will be able to have success over multiple Test matches."

Green agreed with his coach that while his innings in the chase had substance, it lacked the fluency he has at his best.

Briefly it looked like he may be finding that fluency however, with two excellent boundaries off Shamar Joseph, just before the West Indies' match-winner began his wicket-taking rampage.

"Yeah, it was a bit of an ugly innings," Green told cricket.com.au after the loss.

"Sometimes have to go through that. You're never going to be timing the ball beautifully or moving really well (all the time)."

And while having Steve Smith (91no) at the other end was great for Australia, his performance in challenging circumstances wasn't great for Green's ego.

"I had Steve Smith down the other end, making it look way too easy," Green said.

"Don't know how great that made me feel."

Australia's next Test assignment is in exactly a month's time, when they face New Zealand in Wellington on February 29.

While Green's role with the bat will continue to be in the spotlight, McDonald believes the Western Australian will be just as important with the ball once they cross Tasman Sea.

Green was the bowler who ended the highest partnership in West Indies' second innings (a 50-run stand between Kraigg Brathwaite and Kirk McKenzie), pegging the visitors back in Saturday's scorching heat.

The young allrounder, who is no longer restricted by team management on the number of overs he can bowl, consistently asked questions in his 10 overs, drew plays and misses and also had a catch put down off his bowling. 

"He was pretty unlucky," McDonald said.

"He finished with 1-37 off 10 but it felt like it could have been anything.

"He's really impressive the way he's stepped back to the bowling crease.

"We're optimistic he can play that allrounders role, there's no doubt about that in New Zealand."

His captain Pat Cummins agreed, saying that although Green's figures don't look impressive, he was satisfied with his output.

"I thought yesterday (day three) he was just about the pick of the bowlers," Cummins told reporters on Sunday evening.

"He could have easily had about three for 10. He was fantastic.

"Then batting today, I thought he looked really impressive, thought he paced his innings nicely and was just looking to get going and then got a ball that bounced a bit extra.

"I thought he had a great week."

It's been a positive re-introduction to the playing XI for Green, who will now join the one-day squad for three matches against the Windies before sitting out the T20 series that follows in the lead-up to New Zealand.

NRMA Insurance Test series v West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Second Test: West Indies won by eight runs

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc

West Indies Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie