Australia Head Coach Andrew McDonald recently spoke about the ODI prospects of all-rounder Cameron Green after he struggled with not just injuries, but poor form over the past year as well.
Over the next month, Australia will play 3 ODIs each against Pakistan and Bangladesh. Green was named in both squads even though the Pakistan series clashes with the IPL playoffs.
Cameron Green played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026, but the franchise has not qualified for the playoffs, so Green will be free to head to Pakistan.
"He can bat up and down the order" - McDonald
Talking to reporters before the Australian team left for Pakistan, McDonald talked about wanting a more dynamic role for Green in the ODI squad heading to the World Cup in South Africa next year.
In his most recent ODI matches, Green has mostly batted at No. 3 or No. 4, including his most recent match in the format when he made a 47-ball century against South Africa while batting at No. 3 and walking in during the 37th over.
McDonald said that Cameron Green was being looked at in the finisher role after the retirements of Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.
"I think he's got the ability to play high up the order and low. He does have some power, and we saw that in that top-end series last year against South Africa, his ability to finish off that innings, and with the absence of Glenn Maxwell, we had that conversation," McDonald said.
"The team that we are, we keep these things open. Experiment is not the right word, but we'll look at different ways to play in the journey to the 2027 World Cup and where he fits exactly in that. We've got some options there because of his range of skills, but definitely the bowling is a big part of that," McDonald continued.
"He's capable of playing a part with the ball" - McDonald
With the next ODI World Cup being in South Africa, McDonald said that Cameron Green was essentially Australia's premier pace-bowling all-rounder, with Marcus Stoinis retired and Mitchell Marsh virtually not bowling anymore.
In 2024, Green had a back surgery that prevented him from bowling for a long time. In fact, Green's bowling form did not work its way back up to full tilt until IPL 2026. In the tournament, there was lots of drama as Cameron Green did not bowl at all in the initial parts of the tournament.
Eventually, he took 7 wickets at an average of 32.72 and an economy rate above 10 runs per over.
"He's had a challenging summer" - McDonald
McDonald also talked about Cameron Green's underperformance with the bat in recent months. Especially during the Ashes at home and in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.
"He had a challenging summer," McDonald said. "He didn't perform to the level that he wanted to. I think people don't appreciate the sum of all the parts that he brings as well. We want him to average more with the bat. He wants to average more with the bat. But his fielding, his bowling, the package that he is, we feel he will come good. It's just a matter of, okay, how we balance out the three formats as well."
McDonald also touched upon the workload that players like Cameron Green have to go through. Especially when they're a first-choice player in all three formats.
"I think batting is incredibly complex and difficult at the moment, with players trying to stretch across three formats, and I'd ask the question, how many have been good at going across all three formats? Currently, it's incredibly difficult. So, are we asking too much of certain players also?" he said.
"We're always talking about how we can improve, how we can get better, and how we're coaching as well in supporting Cameron Green on that journey. So we're looking at what we're doing as well, and it's not just all about a player. How can we help that player prepare and get the best out of them? As I said, he's not where he wants to be, and we're trying to help him get to where he wants to play."
Cameron Green's ODI career
Since debuting in 2022, Cameron Green has gotten many opportunities in the format. Although the format is receding in relevance, Green has managed to do okay.
In 31 ODIs, Camreon Green has made 782 runs at an average of 43 and a strike rate of almost 90. He also has one century and two half-centuries in the format. He has also taken 20 wickets in 50-over cricket.
Green's wickets have come at 39.20 runs apiece and an economy rate of 5.77 runs per over. He also has one five-wicket haul in the format. Cameron Green was also part of the Australia squad that won the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
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