Following a back injury sustained on Australia’s tour of England, Australian all-rounder Cameron Green’s participation in the important five-match Test series against India has been put in doubt. The 25-year old Green has been pulled out of the last two ODIs of the series- which raises alarm bells about his fitness ahead of the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar series, scheduled to begin in November.
The bowler’s back injury occurred while playing in Australia’s third ODI at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday, which Green performed well in scoring 45 runs and taking two wickets conceding 45 runs. Nonetheless, the all-around player reported to have experienced back pains after the match which made the medical team of Australia decide to withdraw him from the ongoing tour to avoid aggravating the injury. In fact, he missed the delayed fourth ODI at Lord’s on Friday for this very reason.
The scans done in England revealed there was a back injury suffered by the player, but the full assessment of the damage will only be done after the player gets back home to Perth. He will be assessed further upon arrival into Australia which is when the extent of the injury will be known and how soon he Japatya-elow will be fit for game,” said the spokesperson for Australia men’s team via cricket.com.au.
Green, whose previous injuries include plague strain elongation, threatens to be ready in match form before the first Test against India that is scheduled to take take place in Perth on November 22. He is considered to be vital in this high-profile series as he is regarded as an important all-rounder, who is aggressive with the bat while offering valuable service with his medium-paced bowling.
After returning to Australia for rehabilitation, Green is now under strenuous pressure to reach peak fitness level before the series starts. His loss, as it appears likely, will be a huge setback for Australia against any team but especially as they look forward to playing India who is currently the number one team in World Test Championship table.
This injury blow begs the question on work-load management of the young boy. Green has had a busy schedule having bowled in six straight matches on the tour of UK for example. He was rested from the second ODI at Headingley due to his not wanting to overuse himself only for the situation to deteriorate after Chester-le-Street.
With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at stake and India attempting to make it three series wins in a row against Australia, the medical team will definitely be monitoring the condition of Green in the next couple of months.