Australian captain Pat Cummins has thrown his support behind Cameron Green as a long-term solution at number three in the batting order, ahead of the three-Test series against the West Indies beginning in Barbados.
Green, who batted at No. 3 for the first time in his Test career during the World Test Championship final against South Africa, struggled to make an impact. He was dismissed cheaply on both occasions by Kagiso Rabada, scoring just four runs in total. With Green promoted to a specialist batting role, Marnus Labuschagne was pushed up to open with Usman Khawaja. However, Labuschagne’s poor form continued, prompting selectors to leave him out of the opening Test against the West Indies.
Despite Green’s lacklustre return after a long spell out of the Test side, Cummins remained optimistic about his potential at the pivotal batting position that Labuschagne had held since 2019.
Green locked in at 3
“I’m not one for making too many changes,” Cummins said in the pre-match press-conference. “We see Cam at number three as a long-term move. Heading into that Test, he was hitting the ball nicely and moving well. It obviously didn’t go to plan—he only faced a handful of deliveries—but we’re not reading too much into that. We’re really pleased with where his game is at, and I’d expect him to get a fair run in that spot.”
With Steve Smith ruled out due to a finger injury, Josh Inglis is slated to come in at number four, while Sam Konstas will open the innings alongside Khawaja following Labuschagne’s omission. This will be Green’s first Test series in the Caribbean. The tall right-hander batter currently averages 15.60 against the West Indies, with 78 runs from four matches (five innings). He’ll be looking to significantly improve those numbers, although batting in the Caribbean—especially against the Dukes ball—presents a stern challenge.
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