Cameron Green faces a tight timeline to be eligible for the second Test against South Africa, as he has yet to resume batting following an abdominal injury received in the final ODI late last month.
Green completed some running training on the outfield after lunch on the final day of the Durban Test, and there is some hope that he may play a role in the series, but head coach Andrew McDonald earlier stated that Green would be unlikely to bowl at all in the series even if he was fit to bat.
Josh Inglis, meanwhile, has returned to the nets after rejoining the group following a fractured finger suffered in the first ODI, and will improve his intensity during the training days in Gqeberha, which begin Thursday. Sam Harper stays in the squad as a backup wicketkeeper. “[Green’s] progressing well,” McDonald remarked following Australia’s triumph in Durban.
“He has a few things to get through in the next three or four days. “He’ll make progress, and a soft tissue injury can speed up the process.”Josh got a couple of hits out of the back of the nets around lunchtime in this Test match, which went nicely. It will be more about how comfortable the splint is and how it goes. He’ll have bat and ball lessons at PE [Gqeberha], and we’ll learn more there.”
If Green becomes available in either Gqeberha or Cape Town, space in the middle order will need to be found for him, either leading to another batting rearrangement or putting Beau Webster under pressure to keep his spot.
Green was Australia’s best batsman during the August series against Bangladesh.
His injury was the reason for Australia’s rearranged batting order in Durban, with Matt Renshaw dropping to No. 5 and Nic Maddinson coming in to open alongside Travis Head, with Pat Cummins playing a key role in achieving that conclusion. Renshaw delivered one of the great Test performances, scoring 272 runs over two innings, and he also contributed with the ball, taking two wickets in the last innings.
“We put all of the options back on the table and ask, ‘What is the best order at this time?'” That’s how it worked out,” McDonald said of their final decisions for Durban. “We did not make the decision until two days later, following our strategy discussion. I think the most pleasing aspect of our group internally is that they [the players] are eager to accept the role that we believe as a collective can go out there and execute and win a Test match.”
McDonald agreed with Cummins that the batting order needs to be fluid and adaptable.
“I suppose the external view on that is that you need specific orders at certain times and this person’s an opener, this person’s a middle-order player,” he replied. “I believe we are more open-minded than that. So we’ll analyze what we need to do for the next Test [on a] different surface, potentially, not sure what it holds there, but in terms of where Renners [Renshaw] will bat, we’ll work that out before the next Test.”
Given the convincing nature of the victory in Durban, it appears doubtful that Australia will make personnel changes, even if positional alterations are still possible. Unless any of the quicks become sore during the four-day turnaround, the final Test in Cape Town will be played with the same gap.
Workloads were evenly distributed at Kingsmead: Mitchell Starc bowled 33 overs, Josh Hazlewood 32.5, and Cummins 29. They were helped by Nathan Lyon’s ability to offer control in both innings, and the bowling was backed up by excellent catching. Scott Boland and Michael Neser are the extra pace bowlers in the roster.
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“Over the next couple of days we’ll assess where everyone is at,” McDonald stated. “There’s a lot to work through in that space, but our SSSM [sports science sports medicine] team is critical to us, especially with that cohort of fast bowlers who aren’t getting any younger.” The management and the investment they made in their own bodies to prepare is a credit to them, and you can see it in action.”
