(AFP Photo)
Following a staggered arrival in the Caribbean post the Indian Premier League (IPL), Australian all-rounder Cameron Green expresses the team’s eagerness ahead of their first match against Oman at the T20 World Cup.
Despite arriving in the Caribbean at different times post the Indian Premier League, Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is confident about the team’s readiness for their inaugural match against Oman in the T20 World Cup.
Having endured a significant amount of travel in 2023, Green described the 38-hour flight to join the Australian squad as “quite ridiculous,” but noted that he’s become accustomed to such journeys, despite encountering a minor setback of one lost bag.
After Royal Challengers Bangalore’s exit from the IPL a week ago, the all-rounder enjoyed a few days at home in Perth. His journey to Barbados was relatively smooth compared to that of many of his teammates.
“Just one bag lost – my cricket bag but it came the next day. My trip was about 38 hours while Starcy’s was about 60 hours. So overall happy,” Green told reporters after Australia’s training session on Monday as quoted by cricket.com.au.
Green’s familiarity with living out of a suitcase proved beneficial as he found his form towards the latter stages of the Indian Premier League campaign. Despite facing early setbacks and being dropped by his new IPL team five games into the competition, he bounced back during Royal Challengers Bangalore’s late surge into the playoffs. His strike rate increased significantly from 107.93 in his first five games to 170.21 in his last seven appearances.
While his contributions might not secure him a spot in Australia’s XI against Oman on Thursday, the versatile all-rounder remains a valuable asset. He possesses the capability to bat anywhere in the top eight if required.
“That’s the beauty of what I’ve been exposed to in the last few years. It’s not always been a consistent spot that I’ve locked into. But at the same time, I’m also thankful for that. I feel like I can jump in at many different roles. I think that’s where I see myself this tournament, maybe plugging holes in the team,” he added.
Managing the workload of the highly sought-after Western Australian across various formats has been a significant challenge for Australian management. His rapid rise to prominence in all arenas has necessitated careful balancing to ensure his optimal performance and longevity.
“Talking to the other guys, it’s been quite ridiculous the amount of travel and the lack of days at home, compared to normal years. I think you weirdly get used to it, been doing it for two years now. This is the most prepared I’ve been for some sort of tour. I think you go from a Test tour into a T20 or straight into a Test tour – it’s pretty extreme. But that’s the beauty of the IPL this year. You actually got some unbelievable practice leading into this. So a lot of the guys in our team are pretty confident and hopefully, we can start the tournament off well,” Green said.
The reigning World Test Champion and ODI World Cup winner will commence their T20 World Cup campaign against the underdog team Oman on Wednesday.
