Australia international Cameron Green was out of action for nearly seven months before returning to play for Gloucestershire in the ongoing Division Two of the County Championship. Ahead of the World Test Championship final against South Africa next month, the all-rounder wanted some gametime in his bag and so far, he has been highly impressive.
He scored a century in his first match for Gloucestershire in the last match against Kent, Green smacked 128 runs in the first innings and an unbeaten 67 in the second. Courtesy of his incredible knocks, Gloucestershire registered their first win of the season and their first red-ball victory in Bristol since September 2022.
Notably, batting first, Kent posted 424 runs in the first innings. In reply, Gloucestershire made 516 runs. Apart from Green, James Bracy scored a ton, while Tom Price made 76. In the second innings, Kent made 253 runs, setting up for a thrilling final innings. Gloucestershire had a poor start to the second innings, being reduced to 57/4 at one stage.
That’s when Green stepped up and changed the complexion of the game. He barely had any support on the other hand, but the all-rounder kept the scoreboard ticking, putting pressure on Kent at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol. His unbeaten 67 proved extremely vital as Gloucestershire won the match by three wickets.
Following the win, the Cameron Bancroft-led side moved to number four on the points table. Leicestershire tops the ranking with 115 points after six matches. Derbyshire sits second on the table, with 85 points. Derbyshire and Gloucestershire are third and fourth, respectively, with 75 points each.
Meanwhile, Green’s two centuries in four matches will give him the confidence ahead of playing South Africa in the WTC final. However, his batting position isn’t clear. He can open alongside Usman Khawaja or can feature at number six.