Green available for Newlands Test, prefers No. 4 or 5 spot but leaves final call to Australia

Cape Town – Australian all-rounder Cameron Green has confirmed his availability for the series-deciding final Test against South Africa at Newlands after recovering from an abdominal injury. While he will play purely as a specialist batter and won't be able to bowl, Green expressed confidence in his fitness and flexibility regarding his position in the batting lineup. Swift Recovery from Unusual Injury Green has been out of action since September 30, when he sustained a lower abdominal tear during the final ODI against South Africa in Potchefstroom. The injury occurred in unusual circumstances shortly after he was struck by a delivery from Corbin Bosch. "I'm all good to go," Green said on Saturday after completing a training session at Newlands, where he was even seen bowling light deliveries. "Pretty surprised with how quick it's actually healed or how functional I feel only a few weeks after." Recalling the incident, Green explained the link between the blow and the tear: "I think there's definitely a pretty clear link between getting hit and then doing the injury. Two balls later, I went to go play a shot just behind the wicket. Obviously, I had to lengthen my muscle and I think my muscle was pretty keen to not move at that stage after I got hit. So, I think the stretching of the muscle just had a tear through the lower ab." Batting Order Adjustments and Preference for No. 4 or 5 Green’s return creates selection decisions for Australia following their heavy loss by an innings and 31 runs in Gqeberha. With pressure on positions held by Marnus Labuschagne, Nic Maddinson, and Beau Webster, Green's inclusion will require a reshuffle of the batting order. While Green prefers batting at No. 4 or No. 5—pointing to his career-best 174 not out against New Zealand from No. 4 and strong performances against Bangladesh at No. 5—he emphasized his willingness to adapt to the team's needs. "I think I've had a lot of experience up and down the order," Green noted. "I think I'm well suited at four and five, but obviously we've had some pretty incredible cricketers bat in those positions. So I'm very happy to move up and down the order depending on what the team wants." Statistical trends highlight the stability of the No. 5 spot for Australia since the start of 2025, with batters in that role averaging 53.36 compared to 36.33 at No. 6. If Matt Renshaw remains at the top of the order after scoring 272 runs in the first Test, Green could slot into the middle order. However, if Renshaw moves down or Maddinson makes way, further adjustments will be made by the selectors. Relishing the Challenge Against South Africa's Pace Attack Despite not playing competitive match cricket for nearly a month, Green is eager to face South Africa’s formidable fast-bowling attack led by Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, who combined for 12 wickets to level the series in Gqeberha. "They're obviously at the very top of their game at the moment," Green said. "They're probably in the top few bowlers in the world. You always love those challenges. You want to step up against those guys and show what you can do." Busy Schedule Ahead Looking beyond the Newlands Test, Green faces a busy November. Western Australia has two Sheffield Shield fixtures scheduled before Australia’s Test squad prepares for the upcoming home series against New Zealand. However, these white-ball and red-ball commitments overlap with Australia's limited-overs series against England. With the ODI World Cup less than a year away, national selectors will need to balance player workloads across formats.