Australia’s preparation for its T20 World Cup title defence is in full swing, but there’s a bolter from outside the squad who could shake up the Aussie XI for the better. So where in the Aussie XI does he best fit?
It’s less than 20 days until Australia kicks off its home T20 World Cup campaign. Preparation is in full swing, with an away series against India wrapped up and five T20s against the West Indies and England the final tune-ups before the Aussies face New Zealand at the SCG on October 22.
Australia has named its squad already, with Tim David the notable inclusion and looking to have cemented his place in Australia’s lineup ahead of the tournament opener.
Coming from outside the squad, however, Cameron Green is the main source of selection headaches for the Aussies.
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Green was included in Australia’s squad for the series against India in place of David Warner – who was rested ahead of the World Cup – and stepped straight into Warner’s role, opening the batting alongside Aaron Finch.
Green isn’t in Australia’s squad for the World Cup, but his recent patch of form with both bat and ball could see him demand inclusion in the squad.
Green kicked off Australia’s ‘summer’ with a haul of 5/33 in the first ODI against Zimbabwe, claiming eight wickets from his three games in the series, and steered Australia to victory with an unbeaten 89 in the first ODI against New Zealand.
His form continued into the T20 series against India, scoring 61 in the first match of the series as the Aussies claimed a win, before setting up a healthy total in the third match with Australia’s equal second-fastest T20I fifty, scoring 52 from just 21 balls.
Green has now certainly proven his ability and worth to Australia, and is banging down the door for a call-up to the T20 World Cup squad.
The issue, however, is that without an injury, Green may likely be a victim of timing, with the Australian squad already selected.
If he found a way into the squad, however, his versatility is a huge benefit, with a few positions he could slot into.
Cameron Green the… opener?
Green’s recent T20 form has come opening the batting, and given skipper Aaron Finch’s recent woes with the bat, could be a solid option to take Finch’s place at the top of the order.
Green has proven his power at the top of the order, and could allow Finch to slide down the order, perhaps to number three, four, or five. Finch scored 31, 22 and 7 in the series against India,
With Warner returning to the Aussie squad for the series against the West Indies and England, Australia could shuffle the order in this way in order to maximise the output of both Finch and Green.
Embed from Getty ImagesCameron Green the… Top Order Batter?
Similar to Mitch Marsh in last year’s World Cup, Green could have a significant impact at first-drop or number four, with the ability to continue the momentum set by the openers and build an innings as the anchor of the squad.
Marsh scored 185 runs at a strike rate of 146 in last year’s tournament, named Player of the Match in the final for his 77* in Australia’s run chase. He’ll almost certainly retain his place at number three in the batting order, but Green could easily slot into the role in the event of injury or a lack of form.
Green could also slot into the lineup ahead of Steve Smith, whose role and ability at T20 level are less proven and prominent than some of his Aussie counterparts.
Cameron Green the… lower-order batter?
Between positions five and eight, Green could form a brutal lower-order partnership with the likes of Tim David and Matthew Wade, both of whom will be very important members of the Aussie squad.
He occupied a lower-order role in the recent ODI series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand, saving Australia with a brilliant 89*.
While T20 cricket is a slightly different ball game, Green’s power at the top of the order in T20s could easily translate to the lower order and late in the innings, though he’d likely need to contend with Marcus Stoinis for the role he would play.
Cameron Green the… bowler?
Green was named at number seven in Australia’s ODIs against Zimbabwe and New Zealand, used primarily as the fifth bowler across both series.
Embed from Getty ImagesGiven his form with the bat, it’s unlikely that Green would play a bowling-heavy role and bat down the order.
However, given the bowling depth in Australia’s squad already – with Marsh, Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and even Tim David able to provide some handy overs – Green could play as a pure all-rounder and bat towards the top of the order, allowing Australia to retain another batter or all-rounder in the side.
For squad balance and batting depth, which seems to be a recent issue with a lack of consistency among Australia’s batting lineup as a whole, Green’s inclusion as a bowling all-rounder could be a shrewd and freeing move for Australia.
Where does Cameron Green best fit in the Aussie side?
Based on the way Green has been used in Australia’s recent fixtures, it would be hard to pass up including him as an opening batter. Green’s inclusion would mean Aaron Finch could slide down the order to number three or four, and allow the skipper to come in and build an innings after the first powerplay.
On the other hand, should the Aussies wish to allow Finch to stay put at the top of the order, Green could easily occupy the same top-order role and build a dominant innings like his West-Australian counterpart Mitch Marsh in last year’s T20 World Cup.
There’s a chance Green could play as a pure all-rounder and bowl his full allotment of overs, but in that case it’s likely he’d still occupy a position in the top four.
Australia’s series against the West Indies and England ahead of the T20 World Cup will provide more hints as to what they’ll do with the side, but it’s looking now that it’s going to be pretty hard to leave Cameron Green out of the calculations.
