Cameron Green likely to be fit for India tour
Dec 29, 2022
Melbourne [Australia], December 29 : Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is scheduled to go under the knife after injuring his right index finger while batting on the second day of the Boxing Day Test.
The all-rounder is expected to be fit in time for the test series in India that begins on March 9 in Nagpur.
Green retired hurt in Australia's first inning but came back to play a pivotal knock of 51* runs to help Alex Carey clinch his maiden test hundred while also stitching a 117-run partnership for the eighth wicket.
Adding to the woes of the Aussies, pacer Mitchell Starc is doubtful for the India test tour after suffering tendon damage to his left middle finger. The left-hand speedster will not require to go under the knife but is likely to take longer than his teammate to recover.
Both the players have been ruled out of the third test against South Africa that is scheduled to take place in Sydney. Mitchell Starc however is hopeful of returning to action for the upcoming India tour.
The test series will be crucial for the India team as they look to book a place in the World Test Championships (WTC).
"India's the next big tour and we'll see where the timeframe is with that. It's my bowling hand so I've got to be pretty careful and make sure it heals properly. The irony is (Green) will be back before I am. Bones are a bit quicker in the healing process, the tendon is a little bit different. I think we'll both be seeing the same specialist. I still think everyone's confident it will be more front-end (than the back-end of the India tour that Starc will be right for). It will obviously depend on how it heals and how quickly it can do what it needs to do," said Starc as quoted by cricket.com.au.
Starc, one of the best reverse-swing bowlers in the world, and Green, whose combination of middle-order batting and frontline seam bowling has been dubbed "irreplaceable," will both be crucial to Australia's success in India.
The left-arm quick bowled through substantial discomfort during the Proteas' second innings but declined a numbing injection to the finger, relying instead on a healthy amount of painkillers to assist the Aussies in winning the series at the MCG.
David Warner, Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon were the stars for Australia, helping their side crush a helpless South Africa side by an innings and 182 runs in the second Test of the three-match series at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday.
