Green dismissed Ollie Pope in the first innings to get his maiden Test wicket.
Australia Test captain Pat Cummins heaped praise on all-rounder Cameron Green, saying he is a huge asset to the side and a genuine pace bowler after the hosts crushed England by 9 wickets in the opening Test of the ongoing Ashes 2021-22 on Saturday (December 11) in Brisbane.
Green played four Test matches against India after making his Test debut against India last December in Adelaide and while he impressed with the bat, he failed to pick a single wicket.
The pacer dismissed Ollie Pope in the first innings to get his maiden Test wicket before dismissing the dangerous Joe Root for 89 and Chris Woakes for 16 in the second innings at The Gabba, Brisbane.
Cummins said after the match, “It’s huge for us, not only having an all-rounder who bowls a bit but he’s a genuine fourth quick. Last summer was tough, it was literally straight after stress fractures, so not only did we not want to put too many overs into him, but little things like preparing for games and getting overs, he didn’t have a lot of bowling behind him.”
The skipper added, “This year he’s had a real pre-season, bowled a bit more in Shield cricket, so he’s back to what he was probably bowling a couple of years ago. He’s a huge asset, bowls 140 kph (87 mph), can swing the ball and I really wanted to get him into the game.”
Meanwhile, veteran Australian spinner Nathan Lyon was also blown away with the 22-year-old’s rhythm and skill set after he returned with three wickers in the first Ashes against England at The Gabba.
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Hailing Green’s remarkable performance, Lyon said: “Just to be fielding square of the wicket — I’m used to seeing Josh (Hazlewood), Pat and Mitchell Starc hit the wicket and the pace and bounce that they get. I was blown away with Green’s rhythm and the belief that he’s come in with (and the way he) whacked the pitch to get something out of it.”
The spinner signed off by saying, “I’m proper excited about his skill set. His belief will keep growing day by day, training session by training session and test by test … he’s going to be an unbelievable asset for Australian cricket for a long period of time, hopefully.”
(Reuters inputs)