Overview:
Across 35 Tests, Cameron Green has posted 1,641 runs for Australia at 32.82, featuring two centuries and seven half-centuries.
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has urged Cameron Green to return to old ways and avoid overcomplicating his method after a tough run in the current Ashes. Even though Australia have already sealed the series, Green’s lack of runs has stood out as a concern. Across three Tests, he has managed 76 runs at an average of 19.
Green’s impact with the ball has been limited too, with only two wickets in the series to date. After dealing with multiple injury setbacks over the last few seasons, he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 25.2 crore at the latest IPL auction. Ponting said Green thinks very deeply about his own game, which often leads him to make a lot of changes.
The ex-Australia captain advised Green to trust the same methods that worked for him in domestic cricket and carry that approach into the Test arena.
“He’s someone who really overthinks his own game and tends to make a lot of little changes,” Ponting said on the ICC Review.
“If I was to offer him anything, it would be to strip it right back, keep it as straightforward as possible, lean on what’s worked in domestic cricket, bring that exact game into Test cricket, and stick with it for a period,” he added.
Across 35 Tests, Cameron Green has posted 1,641 runs for Australia at 32.82, featuring two centuries and seven half-centuries. He has also claimed 37 wickets at 37.67 in the same period. Ponting believes those figures still don’t paint a complete picture, saying it remains difficult to properly evaluate Green as an international all-rounder.
“It’s still not easy to judge him conclusively at international level. His batting average in Australia is now below 30, and his overall career figure is only slightly above 30. He’s got two Test hundreds from roughly 30 matches and has been through back surgery, and his bowling speed is probably a bit down on where it was a year ago,” Ponting said.
Ponting is confident that Green has the ability to turn things around and deliver consistently for Australia in Test cricket.
“But if everything clicks, he’s got the tools to be a genuinely complete package. We’ve already seen him produce some special innings. That hundred in New Zealand last year was outstanding, and he’s also scored a century in India, even if it did come on a very flat wicket,” Ponting added.