Australia have been handed a huge blow ahead of the beginning of the South Africa vs Australia Test Series as star all-rounder Cameron Green has been ruled out of the 1st Test in Durban.
The SA vs AUS Test series is set to commence on October 9 at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban. This is the first time Australia will play a Test series on South African soil since the famous 2018 series that involved the Sandpapergate scandal that rocked Australian cricket.
Green sustained an abdominal injury during the third ODI against South Africa in Potchefstroom when he was hit in the stomach by a delivery from speedster Corbin Bosch.
SA vs AUS: Cameron Green is highly unlikely to bowl even if he plays in the series
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said, “He’s progressing pretty well, all things considered. He’s still here for a reason, so there is some light at the end of the tunnel. It’ll just be a matter of going through the rehab.
“He’s got a pretty demanding week this week as he reintroduces a few activities, and you’ll see that probably play out in the net situation and during lunchtime, in and around the game. It’s a bit of an unknown, but there’s still optimism that he will take part in the series at some point.”
Further, even if Green recovers and features in the second or third Test in Gqeberha or Cape Town, respectively, he will play only as a batsman and won’t be allowed to bowl.
McDonald alluded to Green’s potential bowling role: “That’s highly unlikely. I think with where he was with his shoulder injury, he missed a fair bit of work there. We’d be solely focused on getting him to return as a batter. We wouldn’t be putting that demand on him to return as a bowler. I think that would be too high a risk, as the information that I have.”
Green’s injury comes at an unfortunate time as he was returning to form with the bat, having been the leading run-scorer in the home Test series against Bangladesh.
SA vs AUS: Who will replace Cameron Green in Australia XI for the South Africa vs Australia 1st Test?
Green being ruled out means that Beau Webster is now all but certain to feature in the Durban Test. Further, Australia have the options of all-rounder Cooper Connolly and batsman Nic Maddinson, who has recovered from cancer and made it back to top-level cricket.
“We felt like that was it for Cam, in terms of breaking through. Now he’s got a rehab to go through, but he’s a quality player. It’s the flexibility of what he gives us in terms of with the ball was something we’re looking forward to but… Beau Webster can arguably do a similar role if called upon with the ball,” the Aussie coach added.
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
