Australia v India: Why Cameron Green could be the best No. 6 since Mike Hussey

Since Mike Hussey retired, 25 players have batted at No.6 for Australia. And after eight years the search for a game-changer is over.

Cameron Green brings up his half century at the SCG against India. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

Australia’s decade-long search for a game-changing middle-order star is over.

In the eight years since Mike Hussey retired and the Test team lost their ultra-reliable middle order rock, 25 players have batted in Australian cricket’s twilight zone position: the dreaded No.6.

The roll call reads like a who’s who of those lightning rods for criticism in Australian cricket.

Mitchell Marsh. Matthew Wade. Travis Head. Shane Watson. Shaun Marsh. Glenn Maxwell. Nic Maddinson. Joe Burns.

It might not come with the specialist status of openers, or have a reputation for being the home of your best batsman like first drop, but batting at the No. 6 is a tricky and important role.

An ability to bat long and post big scores is essential, should the top order fall over – as has been an Australian trait this series.

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Cameron Green may have locked down the No. 6 spot Australia for quite a while after his second innings performance at the SCG. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Though batting with the tail is a skill in itself: knowing how much trust to place in the bowlers, when to hit the accelerator and how to manipulate fields and frustrate captains who let their minds drift to batting plans.

You can arrive at the crease and be faced with spinners in full rhythm … or possibly the new ball.

It’s a jack-of-all-trades spot, where exceptional results are demanded.

Mitchell Marsh was given the biggest chance to make the spot his own, holding down the fort in 30 Test matches – with his 41 innings in the role dwarfing the 13 of Wade, who slots in at second.

Mitch Marsh had plenty of opportunities, but wasn’t able to keep his spot as Australia’s all-rounder. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Naturally, Marsh has the most runs at No. 6 in a post-Hussey world, with 1038 runs at 26.61 – with two centuries to boot. But never quite enough to make his spot feel secure.

Wade and Head also have centuries at 6, as does Shaun Marsh and a bloke called Steve Smith scored an even 100 against South Africa at Centurion in 2014 during his quest up the order during which he went from Test No. 8 to the best batsman in the world.

Which brings us to Cameron Green, who wowed the SCG crowd on Sunday with a scintillating 84 – falling 16 runs short of a maiden Test ton as he unleashed a barrage of sixes as Australia lifted the tempo before tea.

Green showed composure and patience when required, battled Ravi Ashwin with the old ball and Jasprit Bumrah with the new one and took them both on with brutal power – landing a Bumrah bouncer in the Brewongle Stand as one of four sixes he bombed into the crowd.

“Since he’s come into Test cricket it looks like he’s almost born to play, doesn’t he? He’s been great,” gushed coach Justin Langer.

Shane Watson is the best all-rounder the Aussies have seen in a while – will Green surpass him in time? Picture: AFP/Saeed Khan

The curse of the No. 6 has taken down nearly a decade’s worth of challengers, but Green seems well-built to buck the trend: every bit the generational player we’ve been told to expect.

“How selfless was he? I think he deserves a promotion to five,” Fox Cricket analyst Kerry O’Keeffe raved after the youngster’s brilliant innings on Sunday.

“This was an innings that just developed and accelerated in the interests of the team. He accepted his LBW in the first innings, he could’ve reviewed but didn’t. This guy is a lock for a decade. What a player Australian has unearthed.”

Originally published as Australia v India: Why Cameron Green could be the best No. 6 since Mike Hussey