Cameron Green on track to return to bowling, confirms Adam Voges
Western Australia's rising star Cameron Green has taken the first steps toward a return to bowling, as he recovers from a second stress fracture in as many seasons, coach Adam Voges has confirmed. Injury woes have seen the 20-year-old all-rounder operate as a specialist batsman this season for WA.
20-year-old Western Australian prodigy Cameron Green, who took the Sheffield Shield by storm this season by smacking no less than three hundreds with the bat, snared two five-wicket hauls in his first five Shield games and was predominantly seen as an all-rounder, but injuries have forced his state side to play the youngster as a specialist batsman this season. It did pay rich dividends for both the player and the club, as he amassed 699 runs at an average over 63, but the youngster is now keen to start bowling yet again.
Green has now started work with WACA staff on some technical changes to his action to avoid another recurrence of his back problems, and Western Australia head coach Adam Voges confirmed the same and stated that there are some technical changes that the youngster needs to make to his bowling action in order to remain injury-free.
"He's just started doing some walk-through bowling with Matt Mason, our bowling coach. He's excited about that. We're just going to keep him ticking over for the next couple of weeks so he can groove some technical changes. We feel there is some change that needs to be made. He's had two stress fractures in the past two seasons so we're just trying to get him to have an action that's safer for him. But he's pretty happy to get a ball back in his hand at the moment," said head coach Adam Voges, reported CRICKET.com.au.
Green began the season batting at No.9 but was moved up to No.6 after his maiden ton. He scored a second century a game later against South Australia and was soon embedded at No.5, where he scored his third ton of the season against Tasmania in late February. Green, who has 28 first-class wickets to his name at an average under 22, said that he's looking forward to working with Mason, a Perth-born former pace bowler who forged a successful first-class career through the 2000s with English side Worcestershire before joining the WACA this season.
"I got injured as soon as he came. He's got a few new ideas which I'm looking forward to working on with him," said Green.
Green finished the year with 699 runs at 63.45 from his 15 Shield innings, with three centuries, numbers that are all the more remarkable given he averaged 16.75 in first-class cricket before his breakthrough century.