Shield cricket too soon for Cameron Green as the allrounder will not suit up for Western Australia in the upcoming round.
Shield cricket comes a tad bit early for Cam Green before his county stint.
Green said during last month’s Australian Cricket Awards that he was on track to recover enough to play as a hitter only in Western Australia’s last Shield match against Victoria on March 15. However, he is unlikely to be approved to play before the end of the Australian domestic summer, even though he has been hitting balls and returning to the nets on a regular basis in recent weeks. If they qualify, WA does not anticipate that he will be available for the match against Victoria or the Shield final.
After having spine surgery in October, Green needs to have routine back scans to monitor his recovery before he can resume playing. On April 18, Green’s first game back is probably going to be Gloucestershire vs. Kent in the Division Two of the County Championship in Canterbury.
With the assistance of a “significant donation” from one of the club’s members, Green has agreed to a five-game contract with Gloucestershire. Before the WTC final at Lord’s, those five games are against Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Lancashire, and Kent (twice). It’s unclear, though, if Cricket Australia’s medical team will let him play five straight first-class games before the WTC final.
Green, who has participated in all 28 of his Test matches thus far as an all-rounder, is eligible to play in the WTC final in June as a batter. He won’t be able to bowl until later in the year, as Australia will be embarking on a three-Test tour of the Caribbean beginning in late June, in preparation for the home Ashes series that begins in late November.
Australia’s lineup will be under pressure to select him because he is only available as a hitter. Green batted at No. 4 in his second most recent Test match, scoring 174 not out, but if he wants to play in the WTC final against South Africa, he will need to bat somewhere else after Steven Smith’s victorious return to the position.