Cameron Green looks as accurate as any bowler in the Australian Test team. He’s not far off Pat Cummins-like accuracy.
I just wish he’d get an earlier ball to bowl with, because he’s got a legitimate outswinger.
He’s already got Joe Root twice this series. The value of Root’s wicket is almost threefold: he’s the dominant player, the number one batter in the world, and he also carries the burden of captaincy.
You’ve got to remember he was predominantly picked as a fast bowler originally, so he’s coming from a real fast bowling mentality. His batting only thrived because of his stress fractures of the back.
We’re getting more quality with 12 months of him re-grooving his action, so it’s probably feeling more natural for himself, and he’s not as concerned about his body.
I could see him actually being a new ball bowler down the track, that’s how much potential he’s got. Let’s hope he gets some runs tomorrow as well.
Cameron Green celebrates the wicket of Joe Root on day three of the second Test. (Photo by Sarah Reed – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
It would have been a great opportunity to eat into the England batting a second time and enforce the follow-on, while then also not exposing our top order to the swinging ball.
Green’s bowling meant the frontline quicks didn’t bowl a mountain of overs; when you’ve got a fifth bowling option as good as your first in Green, that’s an incredible asset.
Maybe, just maybe, the English tail held on a little bit longer than Steve Smith wanted to make that call, but I just thought they might make it anyway.
The quicks would have bowled in the night session, and you knew tomorrow Nathan Lyon would hold up one end and you could just rotate the other four through. Surely they would have given it a lot of thought.
It’s the conservative option, but it also gives a chance for Marcus Harris to hopefully score big tomorrow and shore up that opening spot with David Warner.
Speaking of Lyon, the bowling partnership between him and Green changed this match.
At the first break it was looking like if Root and Dawid Malan, who batted superbly, could continue on for the next hour, they were going to be into the hundreds. Then all of a sudden we’ve got a Test match on.
The bowling pressure from both ends – and it was Green originally with his wickets but then Lyon as well – ended all that.
Ollie Pope looks like a rabbit in headlights when facing the off-spinner. He ended up with three wickets; I wouldn’t be surprised if he doubles that in the second innings.
Nathan Lyon celebrates Ollie Pope’s wicket on day two of the second Test. (Photo by Mark Brake – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
It was also great to see Mitchell Starc bowl consistently well for his four wickets. Maybe he thrived a bit with Cummins and Josh Hazlewood out, when he was the main man. He certainly bowled that way.
We were hearing that he was bowling fast and full and swinging it, but sometimes you’re not sure if that’s propaganda from the team.
I thought he bowled really well at the Gabba: his control was better, he bowled full, good pace, excellent body language. Sometimes with bowlers like him who can be our most destructive bowler, but also our most expensive, you’ve got to ride the bumps a little bit.
One element that hasn’t been a big feature of his bowling is using the left-hander’s angle. He seems to be angling it across with really good pace, so his wrist and fingers must be behind it. With the new ball he’s got that swing.
I think he’s got 50 wickets already in day-night cricket! It’s insane.
If anything, it looked like Jhye Richardson might have tried a bit too hard today. He was charging in and then decelerating a little bit before he jumped, losing a bit of momentum.
He didn’t seem to have much rhythm today; maybe it’s something that he might have to work on in the warm-ups. I think I saw Green out there in the dinner break with Andrew McDonald, and they were obviously working on something – maybe the wrist behind the ball a bit more, and bowling fuller. And then he took it into that session where he knocked over Root.
He was terrific the night before, and really unlucky not to get a couple of wickets. But as opposed to Michael Neser, who didn’t bowl a lot but looked like his run-up was good – he was getting into the crease, his follow-through was fine – Richo probably had one of those days where it just looked like the rhythm wasn’t quite there.
It might be a bit of a bowl-off between Richardson and Neser on day four for Boxing Day, but we’ll cross that bridge later!
My advice for England? Keep behind the line, so no no-ball wickets, and catch all your catches – that would be a start.
A bit like at the Gabba, you can lose and you can lose with encouraging performances. Malan’s done a terrific job twice, and looks a bit of a natural for Australian conditions.
He blocks them when they’re bowled straight, though he can fish outside off stump a little bit which led to his dismissal again.
But he cuts and pulls like an Australian. The battle with Lyon was real cat and mouse stuff; I really enjoyed that.
Besides Malan and Root, I thought Ben Stokes was starting to counterattack, and he bowled with a lot of spirit. He might be building towards getting himself into really good form.
If they lose this Test, they’ve got to find out who’s in their top six. Another Rory Burns failure, another Pope failure, and they’re going to have to start bringing in players mid-series, which isn’t good.
Even if they can’t save this Test, some strong individual performances is really all they can hope for.
For the Aussies, a dream day would be runs from Harris and Green; then wickets under the lights tomorrow night; and then Lyon cleans them up on Day 5.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Where the hair is removed from the head by hostile, marauding enemy bowlers from lands beyond the sunshine.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
In Root's case very definitely.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
I’m not sure how the batting ratings work but I think it’s safe to say that Marnus is the number one bat in the world right now.
Mike
Guest
I meant "capable of opening the bowling".
Mike
Guest
Well said Ja Ja klazo. It's not like Green has been taking only tail end wickets or "walking wickets" like Burns. Root and Stokes are wickets that really matter. He's had two failures with the bat so far in this series. Hardly a disaster. He has earned his keep with 5 good wickets for not much at a great economy...and his fielding has been faultless. The poms would love to have him. Last year against India his bowling wasn't the same as this year due to coming back from injury. We all know that. If we can get both disciplines firing at once then we'll have cricketer for the ages. I like Maxwell but I'm sorry, at Test level his bowling doesn't compare with Green - 6 foot six bowling accurately and dangerously at 140+. Maxwell should be considered as a batsman who can bowl handy, stop gap tweakers at Test level. In Green, if we can get his batting happening at the same time, we have an absolute match winner on our hands. A bowler that allows us to play two genuine spinners when in India. Keep investing in him because he's the real deal. An FC batting record seriously better than most of his rivals and, as Flem rightly points out, capable of opening the batting
Jeff
Roar Rookie
He batted fine last summer. 45, 84, 47 & 37 out of 7 innings. And importantly batted time to be part of some good partnerships. In 3 innings batted around 3 hours and in another for 2 hours. You don’t last that long at the crease at Test level if you’re not capable. – Only two innings this series so far and I expect he’ll get amongst the runs. – Yes he’s averaging under 30, but after just a handful of games averages can shift pretty quick – as they have with his bowling average, down from 100 to 34 in the space of 3 innings. – Asia will be interesting. And I don’t have much idea. Perhaps his height and banging it in could get some important lift on softer pitches, combined with his pace?
Paul
Roar Guru
Agreed on all points but at some stage, there may need to be a reckoning if he continues to underperform with the bat, especially in Australian conditions. I don't think we can afford to have a number 6 bat averaging under 30 when we go touring next year and Id question the value of his bowling in Asian conditions
Mitchell
Roar Rookie
That is because Green was coming of an injury and a change in bowling technique he was noticeably worse in that series alot slower and less accurate. He is bowling alot better in this series he is a good bowler he just needs time any bowler would be the same if they had to go through what Green has had to do.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I think there's a few factors at play. His ability to take some of the overs workload off the other bowler - though not so much an issue now given Cummins/Hazelwood didn't play. Selectors desire to develop him in the team and probably most relevantly right now, if Australia wins the series after three matches and looks like they're placed to take the last two, even if Green's runs contributions are down.
fabian gulino
Roar Rookie
Great comment Damien Fleming.
True enough with Stokes saving their bacon with arguably the greatest test innings of all time, however a "pretty weak team" might be doing it when you have Labuschagne performing well at 3, Smith going god mode at 4, and then ok contributions from Wade at #6 and Paine at #7, plus the best bowling attack in the world.
There is just absolutely no grit outside of Root/Malan and Stokes. Malan is an average bat but suited to English conditions, and there is just so much pressure on Root to perform because he has a non existent #1-2 and #6-8. I feel for Buttler because he's not someone you want or should expect to rebuild an innings from 5-150, 5-250 and he would be Gilchrist esque where he can play a more natural game.
At 22 years of age, with a 51.6 FC average and 8 tons, plus bowling which is clearly becoming more potent and accurate, we can easily afford to carry him for this Ashes series. If he is struggling with the bat, ok then maybe he shouldnt be in the first XI for the 3 test tour to Pakistan, or 2 tests to Sri Lanka, but we definitely need to give him a long run. We cannot, and absolutely must not go back to Mitch Marsh.
Paul
Roar Guru
I reckon there’s only one person who might think runs Green makes today are meaningless. :happy: The reality is, he’s a number 6 bat, so has to make runs and/or have a reasonable series, especially of the guys around him are all making runs. If he doesn’t, his place should be under question, unless he takes 20 plus wickets across the 5 Tests and even then, his spot in the order could be an issue, ie does Carey come up to 6 and Green down to 7?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I have Richardson at 15 overs yesterday, Starc 12.1, Green 10 and Neser 9.4. Lyon 28.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
https://www.news9live.com/sports/cricket-news/ashes-test-advantage-england-with-new-kookaburra-ball-138996
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Smith "failed" in the First Test. Who knows, Smith may fail in the 3rd Test. Green's stance is clearly different from previous seasons. He shouldn't be so worried about the LBW on this pitch; there's enough bounce to take that dismissal out of the equation most of the time. Same will probably apply to the MCG, though guess we'll have to see how that decks plays. It's not a huge technical issue for him to work on and no doubt they're working on it inside the camp.
U
Roar Rookie
Scalping?
Ouch
Roar Rookie
doing the job Mark Wood would've been perfect for
jameswm
Roar Guru
Harris had also failed twice. It happens. Not sure what Mooty expects. He’s 22. He has shown signs of both his batting and bowling being test class. If he can keep bowling like that abs average 40-45 as a test batsman - wow.