ICC World Test Championship:<\/b> Australia have been dealt a huge blow ahead of the opening Test against South Africa, with head coach Andrew McDonald confirming that Cameron Green will miss the first match of the series at Kingsmead, Durban.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Green sustained an abdominal strain while playing a hook shot during the third ODI against South Africa and has been racing against time to regain full fitness. He was absent from Australia\u2019s two-day warm-up fixture in Potchefstroom and has been restricted to minor physical conditioning work on the sidelines.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking ahead of Australia\u2019s first full training session at Kingsmead, McDonald said Green was progressing well but would not be available for the Durban Test. \u201cHe\u2019s progressing pretty well, all things considered. He\u2019s still here for a reason, so there is some light at the end of the tunnel. It\u2019ll just be a matter of going through the rehab,\u201d McDonald said, as quoted by Cricinfo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a pretty demanding week as he reintroduces a few activities, and you\u2019ll see that probably play out in the net situation and during lunchtime, in and around the game. It\u2019s a bit of an unknown, but there\u2019s still optimism that he will take part in the series at some point,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Green\u2019s absence is a significant setback for Australia, particularly with the 27-year-old having been in fine form with the bat. He scored a Test century against Bangladesh in Darwin and emerged as one of the standout batters in the series alongside Steve Smith.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He had also been Australia\u2019s leading run-scorer in the ODI series against Bangladesh in August and appeared to have settled into the No. 5 position after being shuffled around during last season\u2019s Ashes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was great to see him sort of bounce back after last summer, and sometimes that\u2019s the moment when players do start to really believe in themselves. I mean, we continually believe in our players and trust what they\u2019ve got, but sometimes that sort of internal belief and trust in their games doesn\u2019t shine through until they have that sort of breakthrough moment,\" McDonald said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe felt like that was it for Cam, in terms of breaking through. Now he\u2019s got a rehab to go through, but he\u2019s a quality player,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Green\u2019s latest injury is particularly frustrating for Australia after he had also been managing a sore shoulder during the recent ODI series, which limited his bowling workload.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
McDonald said the team would not rush Green back as a bowler, with his return likely to focus solely on his batting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThat\u2019s highly unlikely. I think with where he was with his shoulder injury, he missed a fair bit of work there. We\u2019d be solely focused on getting him to return as a batter. We wouldn\u2019t be putting that demand on him to return as a bowler. I think that would be too high a risk, as the information that I have,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Green\u2019s absence also affects Australia\u2019s balance, although McDonald believes Beau Webster can provide a similar option with the ball if required. \u201cIt\u2019s the flexibility of what he gives us in terms of the ball, which was something we\u2019re looking forward to, but\u2026 Beau Webster can arguably do a similar role if called upon with the ball,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Test series is scheduled to begin on October 9 in Durban, with the second Test to be played in Gqeberha from October 18 and the third in Johannesburg from October 27.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Green\u2019s absence also affects Australia\u2019s balance, although McDonald believes Beau Webster can provide a similar option with the ball if required. \u201cIt\u2019s the flexibility of what he gives us in terms of the ball, which was something we\u2019re looking forward to, but\u2026 Beau Webster can arguably do a similar role if called upon with the ball,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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