New Delhi, Nov 7 Australian cricket legend Ian Healy gave his blunt take on Cameron Green's selection for the first Ashes Test squad, saying that he should not have been selected for the series opener if he can’t bowl.
Green, the incumbent No. 3, has sent down just four overs in competitive cricket so far this summer after back surgery. A return to bowling in international cricket in the ODI series against India was nixed by a side complaint.
But if Green can still bat despite not being up to bowling, Healy thinks Australia all-rounder Beau Webster will be able to do both at No. 6 when it comes to the final makeup of the first Test XI.
“Guess who's holding the reins? It’s Cameron Green. Cam Green, will he bat three and bowl, bat six and bowl, bat and not bowl or simply not play?" Healy said on SENQ Breakfast.
“Cameron Green needs to bowl 10 overs a day in the Shield game, and that’s all he has to do in the Aussie team to support the work of those three fast men.
“But he’s only bowled four overs this season, and at this stage, I’m saying Cameron Green shouldn't be in our Test team if he’s not bowling.
“In the Shield game, he’s going to try and emulate a Test workload, I’m assuming. He’s coming off back surgery, but that’s got nothing to do with a side strain and side soreness, which he’s got," he added.
Healy sees Marnus Labuschagne batting at No. 3 and Jake Weatherald opening the batting if Green doesn’t play. He added that if Green does play alongside Webster, he wants Labuschagne opening with Usman Khawaja.
“There'll be a shuffling of the deck chairs. If Green doesn't play, Marnus goes to three and Weatherald opens. I’m of the opinion as well that Marnus can open as well with the form and mindset he’s in, but you’d rather have him at three," Healy said.
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