'Trending' Green eyes output after confidence-boosting knock
While he has hardly been out of form given his last century was only eight innings ago, Cameron Green believes his game is "trending well" after posting his maiden half-century in his new role at No.3.
Installed at first-drop on his return to the side for last month's World Test Championship decider, it finally clicked for Green on day three of the second Test in Grenada as he posted a vital 52 in what could end up being a match-defining partnership with Steve Smith.
The West Australian quipped post-play that it seemed like Smith was "batting on a different wicket" such was the ease at which he scored his 71 runs from 119 balls, which was four fewer than Green faced on a challenging St George's pitch where some deliveries sporadically kept low.
Australia view Green as their long-term No.3 and they'll no doubt be buoyed by his determination to grind out a valuable innings after a tough initiation to his new position in the Test side with three straight single figure scores and a previous best effort of 26 in the first innings of this match.
The 26-year-old yet to resume bowling in competitive matches following back surgery last October, but his second-innings knock on Saturday was the clearest indication yet that he can hold his own as a specialist batter as he builds his workloads towards a return with the ball for the home summer.
"You always need an innings here and there just to get you going and hopefully today was one of those," Green told reporters at Grenada's National Stadium after stumps on day three.
"If anything, it's good to get some time out there, there's a lot of good things I get out of just spending time in the middle.
"My balls faced has been trending up; the runs haven't been there but there's certainly little positives I can take out of it.
"To be able to sneak into (the team) while still not bowling, I'm incredibly grateful for that and hopefully my output can be a little better than it has been.
"But today was a nice sign that things are trending well.
"I don't think I ever really felt comfortable out there (on that pitch) – certainly (Friday) night was tricky and just with the new ball today I had to start again.
"You could probably ask a different question to Steve, he was batting on a different wicket. He's clearly a class above – that's a tough wicket so to play as well as he did was incredible."
While the runs haven't flowed like they did during his five-game county stint with Gloucestershire that yielded three centuries prior to the WTC final, you don't have to look back far in Green's Test career to find a reminder of his capability.
Batting at No.4 five Test appearances ago, on a similarly tricky Wellington surface in the first Test against New Zealand last year, the right-hander peeled off an unbeaten 174 in an Australian innings where the next highest score was the sundries column on 41.
"We all know … there's runs that need to be made, certainly when batting up the order for Australia," Green said.
"That's what we all love, to be out there making runs.
"It's a tough game so being able to bounce back from tough times is equally as important, so there's good signs out there."
Green said his new role at first-drop had "felt really normal" since returning to the Test side as he targets a return to bowling early in the Sheffield Shield season.
"If you ask most of the guys in our changeroom, they've all batted number three their whole junior career and no different with me," he said.
"I've batted number four for WA (and Australia), being one spot up is no different.
"I've certainly had enough rest, so my back is not an issue, it's more getting loads up now.
"It'll be a steady progression and hopefully around a couple of the Shield games (I'll be bowling), potentially one-dayers against India (in October), but those are all pretty far away, so we'll wait and see."
Cameron Green registered his first half-century in his new role at No.3 in Australia's Test side
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