Century earns a Green light for this spot-on selection

Cam Green’s mighty 174 against New Zealand shows the 24-year-old’s “prodigious” talent and vindicates selectors, according to the head of Cricket Australia. Green was both destructive and stoic as he tallied his best score in Test cricket, coming in at 2-65 and anchoring his country to a total of 383.

With Josh Hazlewood, he compiled a century stand for the 10th wicket, frustrating the Kiwis and tilting the Test in Australia’s favour before lunch on day two.

Australia started the day on 9-279 – considered about par – but ate their lunch all out for 383, well ahead of any first-innings expectations, considering Tim Southee opted to bowl after winning the toss.

Green struck 23 boundaries and five sixes at the Basin Reserve, and had a double-century in sight when Hazlewood was dismissed for 22. Nick Hockley, CA’s chief executive who was watching in Wellington, said he was thrilled to see Green produce the knock. “I think it’s been in him … just great to see him standing tall with that confidence,” he told SEN. Green was identified early as a Test-level talent, debuting as a 21-year-old in the 2020 Adelaide Test against India.

However, he was dropped during last year’s Ashes series and only found his way back into the Test side after David Warner’s retirement this summer. Slotting in at No.4, Green ended a run of 11 Test innings without a half-century by tonning up on Thursday, then cashing in on Friday.

Showing his humility, Green joked on Thursday night that he was still working out how to bat alongside the bowlers, before combining with Hazlewood for the record-breaking stand on Friday. The West Australian credited a dip back into the Sheffield Shield last month with helping him recover some red-ball confidence.

He made an unbeaten century against Shield leaders Tasmania in Hobart, then repeated the act against New Zealand when he resumed national team duty. “That knock in Shield, in pretty similar conditions, it really kind of vindicates the selectors’ decision to stick him in at four,” Hockley said. “He’s been identified as a prodigious talent. I think he’s a player for the modern era – a really incredible allrounder, but emerging as the batter that he is.”

Before play on Friday, Mitch Marsh called Green’s knock “unbelievable”.

“It’s been well documented he’s a young kid learning his craft at the top level,” Marsh said. “The best of Cam Green is one of the best in the world and he’s going to continue to get better … he was really the anchor for us.”