Sydney, Dec 24 (UNI) ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting has provided his assessment of where Cameron Green stands in his young international career.
The tall all-rounder has had an under par Ashes series, which Australia have already clinched after the first three Tests. In three Tests, Green has returned 76 runs and has picked up just two wickets, albeit getting limited time with the ball.
Ponting acknowledged that, despite Green’s growing experience, his overall impact in Test cricket is still difficult to quantify.
“It’s actually quite hard to get a gauge on him yet as an international player,” Ponting said of Green on The ICC Review.
“He averages under 30 in Australia now. His career averages just over 30,” Ponting said.
“He’s made two Test match hundreds in 30-odd Test matches. He’s had back surgery, and his bowling pace is probably not quite what it was 12 months ago,” Ponting said.
Green has taken part in 35 Tests since his debut against India in Adelaide five years ago. His returns have been decent, with the right-hand batter chipping in with 1641 runs at an average close to 33, while also grabbing 37 wickets.
Even so, Ponting was emphatic that Green’s blend of skills continues to set him apart, pointing to moments that underline his potential in the Baggy Green.
“But there is a very complete package there if it all comes together. And we’ve seen him play some pretty remarkable innings,” Ponting said.
“He made an incredible 100 in New Zealand last year. He’s got 100 in India as well, albeit on a very, very flat pitch,” Ponting said.
Green made his maiden Test ton in Ahmedabad, scoring 114 after coming in at a tricky situation against India, while his best effort followed a year later in March 2024, when he smashed an unbeaten 174 not out in Wellington to guide the Aussies to a big 172-run win.
Beyond some individual performances, Ponting highlighted the value Green brings within the Australian dressing room, while identifying consistency of method as the key challenge ahead.
“Talking to the players, talking to the coaching staff, they absolutely love what he brings to the group,” Ponting noted.
“The biggest challenge he has is, he’s just got to find out the right way and right style for him to play, work out what’s going to work for him, and then commit to that and stick to it for a long period of time,” he said.
Ponting suggested that Green’s tendency to constantly search for solutions can sometimes complicate that process, offering straightforward advice instead.
“Apparently, he’s a very deep thinker about his own game and likes to tinker with things a lot,” Ponting said.
“But if I had some advice for him, it’d be just keep things as simple as you can, think about what you’ve done at domestic cricket and take your domestic game to the Test match and back it in for a while,” he said.
With Australia weighing balance and combinations throughout the ongoing Ashes campaign, Ponting said the faith shown in Green has inevitably impacted others on the fringes, with Beau Webster caught in the squeeze.
“But the unfortunate player in this whole Australian summer so far has been Beau Webster. He didn’t do much wrong in the games that he played. Certainly, in Australia, in his debut game, he was very good,” Ponting noted.
“Then had to go to the West Indies, where the wickets were very, very challenging for all batters. And he got undone by a couple of almost unplayable deliveries over there,” he said.
“He got injured at the start of the Australian summer and missed a couple of Shield games, which probably didn’t help because he didn’t get the same sort of run-in and runs under his belt as someone like Labuschagne did,” Ponting said.
“Unfortunately, Beau didn’t have that, and as I said, I actually feel a bit for him, and he might be the one that they’re thinking about in that No.7 slot as well. They might think about moving Inglis out and bringing Webster in there just to get a bit more bowling back up as well,” he said.
Webster’s been in good touch since he made his debut earlier this year in Australia’s final Test against India in Sydney, taking part in seven Tests from that point on and getting himself 381
runs with four half-centuries as well down the order alongside eight wickets in the process.
Even with those considerations, Ponting made it clear he expects patience to prevail when it comes to Green’s future.
“I think they will persist with him. I think they like the package too much,” Ponting added.
“I think that they’ve almost come too far with Cameron Green now,’ he said.
“Thirty-odd Test matches. I think they’ll stick with him and try to find a way to get the best out of him… I think it’s about him being exposed at the highest level and finding a way to make it work at Test level that’s going to make him a better player,” Ponting said.
The fourth Ashes Test begins in Melbourne on December 26.
