Cameron Green in grim IPL admission amid bid to retain Aussie Test spot
The all-rounder is desperate to try and win back his spot in Australia's Test squad after being dropped during the Ashes.
Cameron Green admits a jam-packed 2023 on the cricket calendar left him "cooked", with the all-rounder enduring a tumultuous year that included a maiden Test century, as well as being dropped several times from the Aussie side. Green is back in Australia and has turned his attentions to red-ball cricket after losing his place in Australia's Test XI to Mitch Marsh during the Ashes series in England.
Green was also dropped from the starting XI during Australia's victorious ODI Cricket World Cup campaign and didn't get a chance to play in the final against India. His rollercoaster year included victory with Australia in the World Test Championship final, as well as a maiden Test ton in the series against India and a first century in the IPL with the Mumbai Indians.
'SHOCKED': Josh Hazlewood announcement stuns cricket world
UPROAR: Mitch Marsh cops fresh dig from rival over World Cup trophy scandal
DRAMA: Ricky Ponting in fake tweet storm amid ugly World Cup aftermath
The all-rounder has now been traded by the Indians - who bought the Aussie for a record-breaking $A3.15 million last year - with Green set to join national teammate Glenn Maxwell and Indian superstar Virat Kohli at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). During his four-month stint in the IPL and with Australia's packed Test schedule, Green only spent two nights in his own bed between the end of January and start of August.
Despite admitting burnout had taken a toll on him, the 24-year-old insists he has no regrets about playing in the IPL when others such as Test skipper Pat Cummins opted to skip it. "I knew what was coming up. But you've still got to go through it," Green said.
"By the end I was pretty cooked. But you can't really make excuses because you put your own hand up for the IPL. It was a tough six months, but with a lot of success throughout it. So no regrets at all."
Green's admission could go some way to explaining the issues around his form in 2023 that saw the all-rounder replaced by Marsh in the Ashes and overlooked in favour of Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis after Travis Head returned for the Aussies at the ODI World Cup. Green is now back home in Australia and has turned his attentions to rediscovering the rhythm of red-ball cricket, in a bid to regain his place in the Test side.
Cameron Green featuring for WA in Sheffield Shield
The all-rounder is featuring in his first Sheffield Shield game for Western Australia in two years during Tuesday's match against Queensland at the Gabba - the final round before the Christmas break. Another red-ball fixture awaits Green for the Prime Minister's XI on the following Wednesday, playing alongside fellow Test hopefuls Cameron Bancroft, Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris.
In light of his packed schedule for 2023, Green has made the decision to skip the Big Bash season and put all his focus on the longest format of the game. Complicating Green's path back to the Aussie Test XI is the form of fellow all-rounder Marsh, who marked his long-awaited Aussie recall with an Ashes century.
Assuming Green is not part of Australia's Test squad, he will likely spend the coming weeks practising his red-ball cricket in the nets and enjoying some much needed time at home. Green's two matches in the next fortnight shape as his only red-ball cricket before Australia name their squad for next year's tour of New Zealand and he could miss Shield games after Christmas depending on Australia's white-ball schedule.
"I'm obviously still learning as a cricketer. So I'm not too stressed about selection at the moment," Green told AAP. "There's a lot of cricket, a lot of things can happen with injuries or form.
"At the same time, I can use it as a in a pretty positive way. I can spend more time in the nets, really trying to get that rhythm of red-ball cricket.
"If you're not playing the Test match, you might be able to play another Shield game. There are obviously a few silver linings you can take out of it and try and improve your skills and just be better for it if you get the chance."
with AAP
Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.
