Australia is hopeful that allrounder Cameron Green will be ready for the first Test against India, which begins in less than a month, but the outlook for fast Mitchell Starc is less promising. In the Boxing Day Test, Cameron Green was hit in the glove by a rising Anrich Nortje delivery, breaking his right index finger. Cameron Green was forced to retire injured (though he would subsequently restart his innings) and had surgery in the aftermath of the match.
While Cameron Green’s rehabilitation is scheduled to coincide with the first Test in Nagpur on February 9, Starc’s comeback date is less certain. Starc sustained a tendon injury and a fracture to his bowling hand’s middle finger in Melbourne, and he will fly to India later than the rest of the team, putting him out of the series opener. Following the announcement of Australia’s touring party to play India, chair of selectors George Bailey spoke to the media and offered an update on the squad’s ailments.
Cameron Green hoping for the first Test
Cameron Green, we’re hoping he’ll be OK for the first Test,” Bailey added. “But if not, that’s OK. We believe we have a team capable of covering that. “Stacy’s not anticipated to be ready for the first Test, in fact, he’s likely to come over to India a touch later. The squad’s third worry is recalled hitter Peter Handscomb, who was forced to retire injured when batting for St Kilda in a T20 competition on Tuesday evening. Handscomb was hit in the hip but did not leave the field until he fell after hitting a six in the next over.
Also Raed: Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green are replaced by Australian uncapped spinner
Pete has a scan scheduled for tomorrow morning to check on it. “He believes it’s nothing major,” Bailey told reporters. “A little mistake. He simply took a ball to the back hip, then three balls later despatched one and felt something give a little bit in there. There’s still quite a bit of time between now and when we travel and even when the first test is, so we’ll work through it as we acquire more information. Handscomb, who has fought his way back into Test contention with 571 runs in five Sheffield Shield matches this season, is Alex Carey’s backup wicketkeeper in the 18-man team, with Josh Inglis not named.
Also Read: Cameron Green finds the right rhythm to fill Starc void
Inglis has played just five first-class matches since the start of the 2021-22 season as a consequence of being a member of Australian teams in all three formats for the better part of 24 months. Inglis is now free to complete the Marsh Sheffield Shield season with Western Australia, and Bailey clarified that Inglis’ absence does not indicate that the WA keeper is falling down the pecking order. Josh is still our backup or number two wicketkeeper,” Bailey said.
Also Read: Cameron Green shows his worth in Test cricket too
But we’re also aware that he’s gone on a number of trips and hasn’t been able to play a lot of cricket.” We know that having Pete Handscomb on tour means that if something happens in the short term, he can step in (as wicketkeeper) for a day, but given the ease with which we can get Josh on a plane and over to India if he needs to take over from Kez (Alex Carey) for a Test match, we’ve prioritized that.” Australia has named four spinners for the trip to India, where they will attempt to win in Indian conditions for the first match in over two decades.
Also Read: Cameron Green Something to crow about: Doco sheds light on ‘lucky’ Marnus
Nathan Lyon, a 115-Test veteran, will head the tweakers, but who will accompany him if Australia opts for two spinners remains to be seen. a test taker Ashton Agar, Todd Murphy, a 22-year-old off-spinner, and Mitchell Swepson, a leg-spinner, have all been awarded a ticket to India. Murphy has a chance to become Australia’s 465th men’s Test player, but Bailey noted that the circumstances and his ability to bring a significant point of difference to Lyon would be deciding considerations.
Also Read: SA vs AUS: Hazlewood snicks off Bavuma on 35
He has a shot to play,” Bailey said. It’s clearly not a development tour, he’s earned his position via his performances. Obviously, whether he can play with Gaz (Nathan Lyon) is an issue. However, they are distinct in terms of off-spinners, so I don’t believe you’re looking at the same sort of bowler.” Agar returned to the Australia XI for the first time in five years for last week’s Sydney Test but went wicketless as the home team chased day five wickets.
Also Raed: SA vs AUS, Usman Khawaja is undefeated on 195, rain interrupted play on day 2
Swepson played four Tests during Australia’s 2022 trips to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and although Agar was chosen ahead of him for Sydney, Bailey believes Swepson is still highly regarded. Certainly, we would want to have a left arm orthodox available in India,” Bailey said of Agar. It was fantastic that we were able to get Ash a game” (in Sydney). He hasn’t played a great lot of red-ball cricket and so in horse racing terms, I believe he will be better for the run. Swep is on the tour because we believe he is our best choice if we require a leg-spinner.”
Also Read: SA vs AUS, Aussies follow-on fears washed away by Sydney rain