Australia to blood Cameron Green - the most exciting Test prospect in years - as soon as play resumes

Australia is looking increasingly certain to hand a debut to gun all-rounder Cameron Green, possibly as soon as the Test side first takes the field again, once the coronavirus crisis dissipates.

Cameron Green’s Australian Test debut is a matter of when rather than if.

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Even through the coronavirus-induced mist which has engulfed Australian cricket and the world, there’s already a clarity about one emerging star.

All-round prodigy Cameron Green will play Test cricket. It’s not a matter of if, it’s when, and potentially as soon as the next time Australia takes the field.

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It’s understood Cricket Australia could make a final call on its June Test tour of Bangladesh in a fortnight’s time, although in the current climate it seems inevitable it will be postponed.

Cameron Green’s Australian Test debut is a matter of when rather than if.

Green has resumed bowling again in Western Australia after being hampered by stress fractures during the summer, and as the only player to make three Sheffield Shield hundreds this season, the 20-year-old is now officially on the radar of selectors.

Green’s Sheffield Shield form for Western Australia has caught selectors’ eyes.

Test captain Tim Paine was straight on the phone to coach Justin Langer earlier this month to sing Green’s praises after another impressive ton against Tasmania, and it wasn’t beyond the realms he could have been selected for Bangladesh as a specialist batsman.

Not since Keith Miller has Australia produced a truly great Test all-rounder, and the prospect of unearthing a game-breaker to potentially be the baggy green’s answer to Ben Stokes is tantalising.

When the lights come back on for Test cricket, Green will stand out like a beacon – and Langer has declared age and inexperience will not be a barrier.

“What Cam Green is doing at the moment with three hundreds, and knowing what he’s got potentially with his bowling – he’s becoming quite an attractive selection because he’s scoring so many runs,” said Langer.

“I used to spend a lot of time in county cricket and I remember they used to say, ‘you guys have this youth policy and it’s great’ … I said, ‘actually what they do in Australia, is they just pick the best players. Whether they’re 18 or 28: pick the best players.

Green was the only batsman to score three tons in the recent, truncated, Shield season.

“They played Tassie this week and Painey was straight on the phone to me telling me how well he batted.”

Having a gun batsman in the top six likes a Stokes or Jacques Kallis who can also be a wicket-taking option with the ball is as rare as hen’s teeth in world cricket, and can turn good teams into great teams.

Langer says Green reminds him of South African great Shaun Pollock … that was until the giant WA prospect “grew another foot.”

Green made three centuries this summer at an average of 64 to sit fourth on the run-scoring tally with 699. He has not bowled since early in the season. But as long as his comeback with the ball continues strongly, it seems only a matter of time until one of the most exciting prospects in decades is debuting for Australia in Test cricket.

Australian coach Justin Langer sees Green as in the mould of England’s Ben Stokes.

“He’s not bowling yet. But he’s an incredible talent, no doubt. He’s had a great year. Three hundreds in his first Shield season and I keep saying, ‘boys wait until you see him bowl,’” said Langer.

“When I was coaching him (in WA) I was blown away. He reminded me of Shaun Pollock. Same sort of simple action, but then he grew another foot. He’s a big man. And he can bowl with a beautiful economical action, and he bowls fast and with bounce and swings the ball. He’s an incredible talent.

“He’s playing well and I hope that continues because he’s a good young bloke and he’s a very good talent.”

There are no glaring weaknesses in Australia’s current Test middle-order after they dusted up Pakistan and New Zealand during the summer.

However, Joe Burns, Matthew Wade and Travis Head still have a long way to go until they’re truly cemented and immune to the inevitable threat of a genuine all-rounder coming onto the scene.

For Australia, an all-rounder would have the added bonus of keeping their blue-chip fast bowling attack fresh during long Test campaigns.

Originally published as Australia to blood Cameron Green - the most exciting Test prospect in years - as soon as play resumes