Andrew McDonald backs Cameron Green in Australia’s Test team despite poor Ashes

Australian Men’s head coach Andrew McDonald has backed Cameron Green to feature in the Australian Test side in the future, despite a poor Ashes series in the winter.

McDonald further stated that the Western Australia player could feature in the side alongside Tasmanian all-rounder Beau Webster, similar to the final Ashes Test in Sydney in early January. He referenced Green’s numbers in the Sheffield Shield.

“I think the answer to that is, yes. I’ve got to talk to the selectors around that, there’s a couple of others on the panel. But if you looked at the last team, let’s just take that, Usman [Khawaja] has retired, and he vacates the No. 5 position where he was opening and he went to five to finish off. But you’ve got Webster and Green that potentially can play in the same team, should we see it that way, so that gives us incredible flexibility, McDonald said, speaking to SEN radio.

In five matches in the Ashes, Green was able to manage just 171 runs, with a highest score of 45 coming at the Gabba in Brisbane, in the second Test. Green has a first class batting average of 45, which increases to 53 in the Sheffield Shield. He scored a century in Western Australia’s last game of the season in March.

McDonald backed the skills of the prodigious all-rounder, saying that it would be in no time that he starts performing for Australia the way he does in Shield cricket.

“But I think he’s [Green] good enough. Anyone that’s averaging that at Shield level suggests that he’s ahead of the pack there, and it’s only a matter of time before it gets to a situation where he’s performing for Australia. I think he’s got a few things to work on around his game, but that’s no different to anyone else.”

“I think there’s a lens in Australia that’s slightly biassed towards what he’s done on the home shore. So that’s a challenge for him. I think he’s good enough. We’ll see the journey out with him. We’re talking about Shield runs, and he goes back to Shield cricket and gets 100 straight away. He averages 50-plus in Shield cricket, where everyone else is averaging 35. So, to me, it’s only a matter of time before that connects into Test cricket,” he added.

Australia’s next Test assignment is a two-match home series against Bangladesh, set to begin on August 13.