Cameron Green wants to spend the summer rediscovering the rhythm of red-ball cricket, despite a cluttered schedule making for a potentially difficult path back to the Test team.
Green will play his first Sheffield Shield game for Western Australia in two years on Tuesday, facing Queensland at the Gabba in the last round before Christmas.
Another red-ball fixture awaits for the Prime Minister’s XI on the following Wednesday, playing alongside fellow Test hopefuls Cameron Bancroft, Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris.
Green has already made the call to skip this summer’s Big Bash League, admitting he was cooked after several long stints on the road this year.
Assuming he is not part of Australia’s Test squad, he will spend that time recovering while it also gives him a chance to work on red-ball cricket in the nets.
Cricket’s cluttered schedule does, however, make it difficult for the 24-year-old prodigy to knock the door down for a Test recall.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
The two matches in the next fortnight shape as his only red-ball cricket before Australia name their squad for next year’s tour of New Zealand.
Depending on white-ball selection, it’s possible he could miss further Shield matches after Christmas, as well as part of the start of next summer before home Tests against India.
“I’m obviously still learning as a cricketer. So I’m not too stressed about selection at the moment,” Green told AAP at the start of the summer.
“There’s a lot of cricket, a lot of things can happen with injuries or form.
“At the same time, I can use it as a in a pretty positive way. I can spend more time in the nets, really trying to get that rhythm of red-ball cricket.
“If you’re not playing the Test match, you might be able to play another Shield game.
“There are obviously a few silver linings you can take out of it and try and improve your skills and just be better for it if you get the chance.”
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Green estimates that it takes longer to get into the groove of a Test innings when coming off white-ball cricket, something he admits he has to improve on.
The allrounder’s year began with a maiden Test century in India and a big first IPL with the Mumbai Indians, before relinquishing his spot to Mitch Marsh during the Ashes.
His four-month Indian stint meant Green spent only two nights in his own bed between the end of January and start of August.
But while others such as Pat Cummins opted to skip the IPL fearing burnout, Green insisted he had no regrets.
“I knew what was coming up. But you’ve still got to go through it,” Green said.
“By the end I was pretty cooked. But you can’t really make excuses because you put your own hand up for the IPL.
“It was a tough six months, but with a lot of success throughout it. So no regrets at all.”