The 25-year-old Australian all-rounder Cameron Green will miss the home summer as he has decided to undergo surgery to get rid of the injury.

Due to his back problem, Cameron Green was set to play as a batter rather than as an all-rounder in the upcoming five-match home Test series against India. He has been diagnosed with a fifth stress fracture in his lower back. 

Green’s surgery decision has emerged after his lengthy consultation with the Cricket Australia medical staff.

The surgery 

To stabilise the stress fracture and prevent any future trouble, the lower back will take screws and a titanium cable. Previously, Australian cricketers Jason Behrendorff, James Pattinson, and Ben Dwarshuis, and New Zealand star pacers Shane Bond and Matt Henry underwent this surgery. Most of them returned to the game within a year. 

Green has already talked about his upcoming surgery with his domestic team Western Australia and his domestic teammate Jason Behrendorff. 

Cricket Australia believes that Green can return to the game after six months of the surgery. However, generally, it takes about nine months to recover. 

During the recent UK tour, the scan report revealed a fracture. Later, in Australia, it revealed a different fracture to his previous stress injuries. Previously, he had four stress fractures in his lower back.  

While Green’s present situation is the possible effect of his bowling workload, there were no such indications of his problem. 

Australia will miss Cameron Green

Even the six-month recovery process means that Green will miss the home five-match Test series against India (Border-Gavaskar Trophy), the Sri Lanka tour as well as the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. While he is an important member of the Australian team in every format, the national team will miss him badly. 

Green’s IPL 2025 participation is also doubtful. He can return to the game in the possible ICC World Test Championship Final in June or during the West Indies tour between June and July. 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face Mumbai Indians on April 2 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to begin their Indian Premier League 2023 season. Faf du Plessis, the former Proteas captain, will return to lead the franchise. The team appears formidable, and this year’s auction yielded fascinating purchases.

As the IPL returns to its classic home and away game structure, supporters will be ready to give the city of Bengaluru the dose of cricket energy. With a robust lineup and intriguing picks from the auction, here are the top four players from the Red & Blue squad to check out. 

Virat Kohli

No wonder why the King is synonymous with RCB. Ever since the franchise’s inception, the evolution of the Delhite right-hand batter has started. His pure class intent and dedication to the franchise were pivotal to Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s successes.

Though the franchise had their own downs, Kohli’s loyalty could be the highlight of all. Over his 237-match IPL stint with the RCB, Kohli has made 7263 runs with over 50 fifties and seven centuries, making him the tournament’s leading run-scorer, and there is no sign of stoppage from his end.

Glenn Maxwell 

Glenn Maxwell will be one of the most potent attackers in the IPL 2024. The all-rounder is capable of doing anything on the pitch. He bowlers in the powerplay and middle overs, fields everywhere, takes catches, and few batsmen can match his abilities.

Especially after his flawless performance in the ICC CWC 2023 on Indian soil, when he delivered some outstanding cricketing performances. Known for his unconventional shots, it’s no surprise that he hammered the ball over the stands of Chinnaswamy Stadium. In 124 IPL encounters, he has scored 2719 runs and collected 31 wickets. 

Cameron Green

Spending more than INR 17 crores for a player demonstrates how much RCB values Cameron Green for his all-round abilities. The Australian all-rounder might improve the franchise’s fortunes in the IPL 2024. He is a top-order batsman who can bowl with new and old balls, making him an excellent choice for the team’s all-rounder role.

Cameron Green is the latest Faf du Plessis, Kohli, Patidar, and Maxwell group member. Despite a promising start of 452 runs and six wickets in 16 matches, he is primed to add to the pyrotechnics by using his striking skills and impressing. 

See also: IPL 2024: Best Playing XI for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Post Mini Auction

Alzarri Joseph

Alzarri Joseph’s signing by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for INR 11.50 crore is a significant addition to the team’s bowling lineup. With Mohammad Siraj as their primary experienced international-level bowler, the addition of Alzarri Joseph strengthens their bowling assault.

Joseph’s ability to bowl quickly and take crucial wickets makes him a significant asset for RCB. The high price demonstrates the team’s desire to acquire a formidable fast bowler. Though his stats of 20 wickets in 19 matches are unimpressive, he can unleash his X-factor for the Men in Red and Blue. 

On the opening day of the first Test in Wellington, Australia faced early struggles at 89-4 after being put into bat at the Basin Reserve. Cameron Green emerged as the savior, showcasing resilience and skill to notch his second Test century. Supported by Mitchell Marsh, who contributed 40 runs, Green’s innings featured a crucial partnership that steadied the innings. The 24-year-old Green displayed composure and determination, hitting his 16th four in the final over to reach an unbeaten score of 103.

The recovery has positioned Australia at 279-9 at stumps, emphasizing Green’s pivotal role in rescuing the visitors. In the face of early challenges on a green pitch in Wellington, Australia’s Cameron Green displayed remarkable resilience at number four. New Zealand’s seamer, Matt Henry, posed a significant threat by claiming key wickets, including Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja, finishing the day with figures of 4-43.

Henry dismissed Smith for 31, bowled Khawaja for 33, and later took the wickets of Marsh and Nathan Lyon. Scott Kuggeleijn also made impactful contributions with two wickets, dismissing Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey. Despite the challenges, Marsh and Green forged a crucial 67-run partnership off 77 balls, showcasing their resistance.

See Also: WPL 2024: What are the Primary Factors Hampering Gujarat Giants Campaign?

A Tactical Examination of Green’s Century Against NZ

Facing a daunting situation at 89-4, Cameron Green emerged as Australia’s savior in the first Test against New Zealand. His spectacular unbeaten century, comprising 16 fours, showcased his aggressive intent. Green’s innings not only stabilized the Australian innings but also demonstrated his ability to accelerate, reaching his fifty to hundred milestone in just 46 balls. 

Cameron Green’s exceptional innings in the first Test against New Zealand saw him amass significant runs with specific shots. His elegant cover drives were the most productive, accounting for 32 runs, with four boundaries showcasing his comfort through the off-side.

Additionally, Green capitalized on his height, contributing 19 runs through well-executed pull shots, which included four boundaries. This shot-wise distribution highlighted Green’s versatility and adaptability, proving crucial in steering Australia to a competitive position on the opening day of the Test match.

Cameron Green’s stability at the crease was evident in his well-executed shots. His proficiency in playing the straight drive added 18 runs to his tally, featuring four boundaries. Additionally, the late cut proved to be another productive shot, contributing 15 runs, with three fours showcasing his adept placement and timing. Green’s ability to accumulate runs through a variety of shots underscored his composure and skill, allowing Australia to reach a respectable total of 279-9 at stumps on the opening day of the Test against New Zealand.

In conclusion, Cameron Green delivered a stellar performance on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington, steering Australia from a precarious position at 89-4 to a commendable 279-9 at stumps. Facing the challenging conditions on a green pitch, Green’s unbeaten century showcased remarkable composure and adaptability.

The right-hander’s shot-wise runs distribution was notable, with elegant cover drives, powerful pull shots, well-executed straight drives, and effective late cuts. New Zealand seamer Matt Henry played a pivotal role with four wickets, dismissing key batters like Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh. Despite the challenges, Green’s innings not only rescued Australia but also demonstrated his ability to flourish under pressure, setting a positive tone for the visitors at the Basin Reserve.

Australian cricket stalwarts Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne are gearing up for Sheffield Shield participation this week following their return from the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2023.

In addition, all-rounder Cameron Green is poised to feature for Western Australia against Queensland, embarking on his journey to reclaim a spot in the Test side. Carey, omitted from the one-day squad after the World Cup clash between India and Pakistan, is eager to find his form as he faces Victoria in Adelaide ahead of the Test series against Pakistan.

Carey’s recent performances in the Ashes were marked by scores of 8, 5, 20, 10, and 28, following his notable fifty in the World Test Championship final against India and a crucial half-century in the victorious match against England at Edgbaston. Despite being dropped from the World Cup playing XI after the initial match, Carey remains determined to make a strong comeback as he takes on the wicketkeeping duties for South Australia against Victoria at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday, preparing for the first Test against Pakistan in Perth on December 14.

See Also:Tim Southee anticipates spin dominance in Bangladesh Test matches

Labuschagne, who made a remarkable return to the ODI team post his exclusion from the World Cup squad, is set to face Green for Queensland in an effort to hone his red-ball skills before the Test matches.

Meanwhile, Green, who featured prominently in three matches during Australia’s triumphant World Cup campaign, has also secured a spot in the Playing XI to face Pakistan in Canberra next month. This selection hints at a preference from national selectors for West Australian all-rounder Mitch Marsh to claim the No.6 spot in the first Test against Pakistan.

RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, has lauded the acquisition of Cameron Green, who joined Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a trade from Mumbai Indians on the IPL 2024 retention deadline day. The move allowed Mumbai Indians to save funds for the return of India all-rounder Hardik Pandya after a stint with Gujarat Titans.

Bobat, in an interview with RCB Bold Diaries as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, expressed that Green is an ideal fit for RCB’s middle-order power-hitting role, emphasizing that he would thrive at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Green’s impressive performance in IPL 2023, where he played 16 matches, scored 452 runs at an average of 50.22, and struck at 160.28, including a century and two fifties, played a pivotal role in securing him for RCB.

See Also:Cricket Crisis Leads to Dismissal of Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe

Describing Green as a high-quality, skillful, and powerful batsman with the ability to handle pace and spin, Bobat highlighted his international experience across formats and predicted his success at the Chinnaswamy.

Bobat also commended Green’s prowess in bowling and fielding, noting his pace and bounce as valuable attributes, particularly in home conditions. Green had an impactful season in IPL 2023, taking 6 wickets in 16 matches and showcasing exceptional fielding skills, including five catches.

The auction for Green witnessed a significant bidding war between Mumbai Indians and RCB. Despite initial attempts by Mumbai Indians to trade him to various teams, Green eventually made the move to RCB, reflecting the keen interest both franchises had in securing his services.

In a recent development leading up to the IPL 2024 auction, it has been officially confirmed that the renowned Indian all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, is set to make a return to his former team, the Mumbai Indians, departing from the Gujarat Titans. Notably, this trade involved an all-cash transaction, with no players being exchanged between the two franchises.

Speculations surrounding Pandya’s return to the Mumbai Indians had been circulating, and initial reports hinted at a cash deal amounting to INR 15 crore. However, as the retention deadline loomed, Gujarat Titans made a surprising move by retaining Pandya for the upcoming IPL 2024 season.

In a recent update from Cricbuzz, it has been substantiated that the much-discussed trade has indeed materialized, with both franchises officially sealing the deal on November 26. Simultaneously, it has been disclosed that Cameron Green, the robust all-rounder from the Mumbai Indians, has been transferred to the Royal Challengers Bangalore in another all-cash transaction. Green was originally acquired by the Mumbai Indians for a hefty sum of INR 17.5 crore.

See Also:IPL 2024 Kolkata Knight: Retained & Released Players, Remaining Purse, and Complete Team Overview

Hardik Pandya’s Homecoming to Mumbai Indians and Cameron Green’s Shift to RCB in IPL 2024

A report from insiders within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and IPL affirms that formal approval has been granted for these cash-only trades. This further underscores the unique nature of these transactions in the cricketing landscape.

Hardik Pandya’s tenure with the Gujarat Titans has been marked by considerable success, particularly during his captaincy. Since his acquisition by the team in the 2022 auction, he led the side to a triumphant title win in their inaugural season. Furthermore, in the 2023 edition, Pandya guided the team to the final, albeit falling short against the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings.

Pandya’s return to the Mumbai Indians holds significant implications for the team’s dynamics. As they pursue their sixth IPL title, his versatile skills could prove to be the crucial element needed to complete the championship puzzle for the five-time winners. The upcoming season promises an exciting chapter in Pandya’s IPL journey, now reunited with the Mumbai Indians.

Mumbai Indians Retained Players:

Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya (Traded from GT) Jasprit Bumrah, Romario Shepherd (Traded From LSG), Piyush Chawla, Shams Mulani, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Jason Behrendorff, Arjun Tendulkar, Akash Madhwal, Tim David, Tilak Verma, Kumar Kartikeya, Dewald Brevis, Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Retained Players:

Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli,Cameron Green(Traded from GT), Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar (from SRH), Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar.

25th Match, IPL: Mumbai Indians 192 for 5 (Cameron Green 64*, Kishan 38, Varma 37, Jansen 2-43) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 178 (Agarwal 48, Klaasen 36, Meredith 2-33, Behrendorff 2-37, Chawla 2-43) by 14 runs

Two days after their top order defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 186 runs, Mumbai Indians’ middle order defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad with an above-par total of 192 on a slow pitch to win for the third time in a row and move up two spots to sixth place in the points table. Additionally, it was the second day in a row that a team successfully defended a total in the IPL.

The fact that Mumbai’s bowlers were largely ahead of the game and were able to reduce Sunrisers to 127 for 5 in the 14th over without the assistance of their primary quick bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer, will also give them confidence. Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, and Washington Sundar managed a few significant hits but were unable to complete the task. The last over began with 20 required, and Arjun Tendulkar had the ball. It was a string of wide yorkers that cost the team two wickets and only five runs.

Cameron Green and Tilak Varma were the primary contributors to Mumbai’s victory

They put on a stand of 56 in 28 balls and helped them score 83 off the final six overs. Green then bowled some tight overs and finished with 1 for 29, including the significant wicket of Aiden Markram.

Rohit lights up the powerplay

In the wake of picking to bowl, Sunrisers acquired on Washington the third over for the coordinate against Rohit Sharma: 25 runs scored from 26 balls, with three errors, prior to this game. However, Rohit reversed the situation by tackling the larger leg-side boundary with the two fielders out. Before pressing the pedal, he scored two fours behind square and one through cover-point.

Rohit kept using his arsenal of guns to attack; He ramped T Natarajan for four more times after smoking him over midfield. It wasn’t around long. Natarajan hit a slow cutter on the pads, and Rohit caught it in the middle of the field for a 28-off-18 score.

However, Ishan Kishan then dominated and took Mumbai to 53 for 1 toward the finish of the powerplay.

Caught Markram bowled Jansen

Jansen returned for the 12th over to strike twice after bowling two good overs in the powerplay, making him one of the best bowlers in this IPL with an economy rate of 5.57. He started by hitting the ball short, taking into account his height, which caused Kishan to misplace the ball and send it to midfield, where Markram made an excellent catch.

Four balls later, Markram was busy again when Suryakumar Yadav chipped a sluggish shaper down the ground; Markram sprinted across, dived, and stood with the ball in his hand. After Markram had stated at the toss that his team needed to field better after dropping 11 catches earlier in the tournament, according to ESPNcricinfo’s data, it was a case of leading by example.

Tilak and Green take off

After that, Mumbai could have easily fallen behind or slowed down, but their quest for boundaries in every over paid off when Green and Tilak Varma took on their best bowler of the day to kick off the assault.

Green utilized his tall edge to release enormous swings joined with savage power, while Tilak Varma showed a greater amount of his spotless hitting and flexible wrists against the spinners. With three fours and as many sixes, the two batters scored 21 and 14 runs in the 15th and 16th overs, respectively, elevating the run rate from 7.78 to nine runs per over.

It took Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s involvement with the seventeenth and nineteenth overs to hold Mumbai under 200. He slowed the game down with cutters and knuckle balls, allowing only 14 runs to be scored in those two overs.

Natarajan, in the interim, missed his yorkers and Green dispatched him for three back to back fours followed by a six over lengthy off that likewise took him past his most memorable IPL fifty, off 33 balls. Tim David manipulated the field in the final over to win two more Natarajan full tosses and score 14 more runs.

Behrendorff makes early inroads

Jason Behrendroff returned after missing the previous game due to illness to give Sunrisers two big early bowls. Before an outside off delivery brought Rahul Tripathi’s outside edge to Kishan, his short ball received a top edge from Harry Brook.

Since Mayank Agarwal was not scoring as quickly and the asking rate was rising, Markram was now largely responsible for leading them to the final overs.

He started attacking by hitting a six off a spinner, which is his strength, but when he tried to hit a big hit, he hit Green in the deep midwicket. Abhishek Sharma found Piyush Chawla long-off three balls later, and Sunrisers were four down and the asking rate was close to 12.

Shades of a fightback before Sunrisers go down

Sunrisers were already behind the curve due to the lack of dew helping the bowlers and the difficulty of scoring runs. They received a significant boost when Heinrich Klaasen crushed Chawla with two powerful pulls and two reverse sweeps for 4, 6, 6, and 4, but he gave a catch to long-on in the same over despite lowering the score to 66 from 36.

At that point, it was within reach, but Meredith quickly dispatched Agarwal with a cunning over, and Jansen gave David his fourth catch of the match after a few boundaries. After Washington raised Sunrisers’ hopes once more, David wasn’t done yet; his careless running resulted in David getting an opportunity, and the direct hit ended Washington’s stay.

At the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, India bowled out Australia by 188 runs in the first one-day international. Mohammed Shami performed admirably. During his six-over spell, he took three wickets, two of which came from cleaning up the batters. 

Shami took his first wicket when he rattled Josh Inglis’ stumps, then he beat Cameron Green with a beautiful delivery. A decent length ball pitched around the off stump swung away from Green and sent his off stump cartwheeling.

Green had no chance against Shami’s delivery of 139.2 km/h with a little swing. He fell for 12 runs

On Friday, Shami and Mohammed Siraj each took three wickets as India bowled out Australia for a meager total. Additionally, Ravindra Jadeja impressed with a two-wicket innings. In the meantime, Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya each took a wicket.

In the wake of being placed into bat, Australia were 129 for 2 at one phase however they ultimately neglected to count on a decent beginning given by Mitchell Bog.

Before Ravindra Jadeja halted his assault in the 20th over, Marsh struck 81 off 65. A string of wickets fell as Australia, which had hoped to reach 300 without difficulty, failed to surpass 200. The visitors only scored 59 runs and lost their final eight wickets.

India’s stand-in captain Hardik Pandya had won the toss and chose to bowl first in the game.

For the third Test against India, Cameron Green has deemed himself healthy. Due to a finger injury, the all-rounder missed the first two Test matches. Although he was practicing in Delhi before the second Test, Australia had opted against delaying his return.

The visitors, who trail the series 0-2 after the all-rounder’s comeback, receive a significant lift. He gives Australia more choices when selecting their starting eleven because he can bat right-handed in the middle of the order and can also bowl reasonably well.

As we know, Pat Cummins was the only pacer Australia had heading into the second Test, but with Cummins sidelined for the third Test and Mitchell Starc still battling through an injury, Green’s presence gives the squad another option in addition to what he’s been planning with the bat.

READ MORE: ICC Test Rankings: James Anderson Sets New Benchmark At 40

Reviewing a few of Cameron Green’s comments

In a fan interview, Green said to the interviewer “It was just a few instances in the nets where I’d maybe go for a sweep and just jar the end of my bat. We just thought we’d sacrifice a game and with the year ahead we’ve got, it was probably the right call. It’s been really sweet the last two weeks, I’ve got a lot of confidence in it,”.

As a man who earned the Man of the Match award in the subcontinent when Australia defeated Sri Lanka last year, Green said “In the back of my mind after the game at the MCG, I was looking forward to having a couple of weeks at home just to refresh and then get back into basically sweeping a lot, getting back into my subcontinent skills. Unfortunately, it’s been a bit slower than probably what I was expecting, getting back out there and getting my skills up to scratch.

While adding that he was getting ready for the unique task in India, Green said “That’s just the nature of cricket and injuries. You can never really rush these things… I’m happy with the process I’ve gone through,”.

“That’s probably one of the advantages of observing the first two games, as you can get a clear view from the sidelines without being too emotionally involved in the game.

“In Galle, the wicket was quite bouncy, while here it’s not bouncing as much. This is another aspect that I am trying to understand about my game, reading the conditions and knowing what to do in different scenarios.

Green expressed his feeling and said “That’s what’s been nice about watching the first two games – you can work out what’s the best approach, and then I think we just have to wait to see what we get in Indore,”.

Injured Australian pace bowler Mitchell Starc has indicated he will most certainly miss the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar series against India at Nagpur from February 9, saying he should be available from the second Test onwards. Starc suffered an injury on the opening day of the Boxing day Test against South Africa, hurting the finger of his bowling arm while attempting a catch.

The 32-year-old Starc was diagnosed with a detached tendon in the middle finger and missed the third and final Test against the Proteas at Sydney. “That’s probably likely (I will miss the first Test). We’ll see how we’re placed at the end of the month,”. Starc was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press on Monday. “Travis Head, Marnus (Labuschagne), Smudge (Steve Smith). They all come into it a bit more. Generally if you’re picking two spinners you’re not expecting it to be a long game,” added Cummins.

Also Read: Rohit & Virat unlikely for T20I, Pandya for the long haul

Mitchell Starc would miss the first test against India

“Hopefully I am there for the second Test if they want to play me. We’ll see how the finger is.” With all-rounder Cameron Green also not a certainty for the opening Test due to a fractured finger he suffered during the MCG game after being hit by an Anrich Nortje bouncer, Australia are left short of pace bowling back-up. However, Josh Hazlewood will most likely play the Nagpur game – his second Test in Asia since 2017. Hazlewood was in fine form during the third Test against the Proteas in Sydney where he claimed four first-innings wickets, forcing the tourists to follow on.

But weather played spoilsport and the match ended in a draw. Test skipper Pat Cummins too gave his verdict on Hazlewood, saying he is a certainty for the Nagpur Test. “No qualms picking (Hazlewood), you know what you’re going to get and it is quality,” said Cummins on Monday. “Getting four or five wickets on that (Sydney) wicket. Every time he (Hazlewood) bowled he looked threatening.” Last year’s Ashes hero Scott Boland too could be in contention for a possible third pacer’s slot with Green too doubtful.