Ahead of the World Test Championship finale, Australia captain Pat Cummins stated that the team sees Cameron Green as a long-term option at number three. For the same reason, Marnus Labuschagne was sent to open against South Africa and was dropped from the West Indies series, to give Green a chance to prove his worth in red-ball cricket.
In the meantime, the young all-rounder had a shaky start at number 3. He flopped in the WTC final, scoring four runs across two innings. Against West Indies, Green showed pedigree, scoring a half-century in the second match at St George’s. Even in the third Test at Sabina Park, he managed a good start, but failed to convert it.
Nevertheless, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed Green for the role in the future. He noted that the conditions in the West Indies weren’t easy and noted that the 26-year-old played his part to silence the critics.
“There was some talk about Cameron Green, if he was a long-term No. 3 or not. Green’s second innings in the West Indies might have just put some of that to bed. As tough as those conditions were, to bat for as long as he did in trying conditions, he might have silenced a few of those critics,” Ponting said on the ICC Review.
“Those weren’t easy runs. It wasn’t a flat track or a day-five pitch with nothing in it. The ball was doing a bit, and Green showed good discipline,” he added.
Ponting addresses concerns about Sam Konstas
Ponting was one of the former cricketers who backed Sam Konstas early in his career. When the door opened for an opener after David Warner retired, the former Australia captain stated that Konstas can be a good fit. However, he is yet to prove his mettle in Test cricket. Despite so, Ponting asked the team management to back him.
“I’m not going to make any really harsh judgment calls on Sam yet. It was hard work for every batter in that series, there’s no doubt about it. I think they have to stick with him for a period of time and help him work through these deficiencies that he might have or might not have,” Ponting concluded.
