Green Aims for More Runs After Crucial Fifty at Number 3 Spot

Australia's Cameron Green expressed his satisfaction with his performance in the second innings of the Grenada Test against the West Indies. This comes after a resilient knock on Day 3. Playing at No. 3, Green scored 52 off 123 balls and formed a vital 93-run partnership with Steve Smith, who celebrated his return to the team with a fluid 71.

Cameron Green delivers a determined batting display at No. 3 in Grenada. © AFP

"You always need an innings here and there just to get you going, and hopefully today was one of those," Green commented after the day's play. He emphasized the value of time spent in the middle, noting, "If anything, it's good to get some time out there; there's a lot of good things I get out of just spending time in the middle. My balls faced has been trending up; the runs haven't been there, but there's certainly little positives I can take out of it."

Following back surgery, Green missed the 2024-25 home season but made a strong comeback during a County stint with Gloucestershire. He achieved three centuries in five County games, including one in his first innings back. He was selected as the No. 3 batter for the WTC final, with Marnus Labuschagne moving up to open with Usman Khawaja. Since then, Labuschagne has lost his Test spot, and Smith was absent from the first Test against the West Indies due to a hand injury. Before Saturday, Green's performances at No. 3 had been less than stellar, with scores of 4, 0, 3, 15, and 26. However, his composed 52 in difficult conditions in the second Test helped keep Australia in a commanding position.

Regarding his new batting position, Green said, "If you ask most of the guys in our changeroom, they've all batted number three their whole junior career, and no different with me. I've batted number four for WA (and Australia), being one spot up is no different."

He also acknowledged the challenging nature of the pitch: "I don't think I ever really felt comfortable out there (on that pitch) - certainly (Friday) night was tricky, and just with the new ball today (Saturday), I had to start again. You could probably ask a different question to Steve; he was batting on a different wicket. He's clearly a class above - that's a tough wicket, so to play as well as he did was incredible."

Due to his recent injury layoff before the WTC final, Green is currently only contributing as a batter, not as a full all-rounder.

"To be able to sneak into (the team) while still not bowling, I'm incredibly grateful for that, and hopefully my output can be a little better than it has been. But today was a nice sign that things are trending well," he stated, also providing a timeline for his potential return to bowling.

Green added, "I've certainly had enough rest, so my back is not an issue, it's more getting load ups now. It'll be a steady progression, and hopefully around a couple of the Shield games (I'll be bowling), potentially one-dayers against India (in October), but those are all pretty far away, so we'll wait and see."