MELBOURNE: Australia all-rounder Cameron Green will miss the home Test series against India and is expected to be sidelined for at least six months after opting to have surgery on a stress fracture in his lumbar spine.

The fast-bowling Green was diagnosed with a lower back injury during the ODI series in England, fanning speculation about his availability for the India Tests.

Cricket Australia confirmed last week that Green was considering surgery by New Zealand specialists who have previously helped fast bowlers including Shane Bond and James Pattinson overcome back stress fractures.

The alternative would have been to undergo rehabilitation and limit his bowling in the India series.

Green’s condition was complex, though, and the decision to undergo surgery was aimed at ensuring he could bowl long term, the team said in a statement on Monday.

“Whilst spine stress fractures are not unusual in pace bowlers, Cam has a unique defect in an adjacent area to the fracture that is believed to be contributing to the injury,” the statement said.

“After thorough consultation it was determined Cameron would benefit from the surgery to stabilise the defect and reduce the risk of future recurrence.

“Recovery time is anticipated to be around six months. The decision to proceed to surgery is with Camerons long-term future as an all-rounder in mind.”

The injury is a major blow to Australia’s hopes of beating India in the five-Test series starting on Nov. 22 in Perth.

India have won the last four series between the teams, including the back-to-back tours of Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

The surgery will also rule Green out of February’s Test tour of Sri Lanka and the ICC Champions Trophy tournament.

While selectors have been cautious about over-bowling Green given his history of back stress fractures as a junior and at state level, the 25-year-old has 35 wickets at an average of 35.31 and given invaluable support to the team’s ageing attack.

His batting has also developed steadily and he scored his second hundred against New Zealand in February with a majestic, unbeaten 174 in Wellington.

Green batted at number four in his last four tests, with Steve Smith moving up the order to replace retired opener David Warner. The tall all-rounder’s absence will mean a shake-up for Australia’s batting order.

SMITH EXPERIMENT AS TEST OPENER OVER

Selector George Bailey confirmed on Monday that Smith would drop down the order and Australia will have a new opener for India.

“Pat [Cummins], Andrew [McDonald] and Steve Smith had been having ongoing conversations, separate to the untimely injury to Cameron,” Bailey told reporters.

“Steve had expressed a desire to move back down from that opening position, and Pat and Andrew have confirmed that he will be dropping back down the order for the summer.”

With Smith set to move back to number four, Australia need to decide who will open with Usman Khawaja.

Among candidates to open the batting is New South Wales’ 19-year-old talent Sam Konstas, who scored twin centuries against South Australia last week making him the youngest player to do so in a Sheffield Shield match since Ricky Ponting.

Konstas, despite having only five first class matches under his belt, was picked in the Australia A squad on Monday along with Victoria opener Marcus Harris and Western Australia’s Cameron Bancroft.

Australia A will play India A in a pair of four-day matches before the India series, giving Konstas a chance to push for a Test debut ahead of more experienced colleagues.

“I think he’s had a good start, he’s five games into his first class career,” Bailey said. “He looks really organised and composed at the crease. Its good recognition that he’s been given the opportunity to play for Australia A but I don’t think it’s to the detriment or taking our eye off how consistent your Cam Bancrofts and Marcus Harrises have been.”

Harris, who played the last of his 14 Tests nearly three years ago, did his chances of selection no harm with scores of 143 and 52 in the Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania.

Bancroft, renowned for trying to hide a piece of sandpaper in his trousers during the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, played the last of his 10 Tests in 2019 before being dropped midway through the Ashes.

He was second in the Sheffield Shield runs list during the 2023-24 season and topped it in the previous term.

“We have another three-and-half or four weeks until that Test squad is announced and who is in it and in what order,” said Bailey. “How they line up will be determined.”

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2024