Cameron Green will remain out of action for at least six months. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who suffered an injury last month during the five-match ODI series against England, will remain out of action for at least six months.
Australia will host India in a five-match Test series next month. The 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is set to start on November 22 in Perth, and the next four matches are scheduled to take place in Adelaide (December 6-10), Brisbane (December 14-18), Melbourne (December 26-30), and Sydney (January 3-7). Ahead of the start of the much-awaited Test series, Australia suffered a big setback on Monday (October 14) when it was revealed that star all-rounder Cameron Green will miss the entire summer.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, 25-year-old Green, who has played in 28 Tests, 28 ODIs, and 13 T20Is so far, will undergo lower spine surgery, and because of that, he is expected to remain out of action for at least six months. The star cricketer has been diagnosed with his fifth stress fracture in his lower back.
“After lengthy consultations with Cricket Australia medical staff over the past two weeks following the initial injury in the UK on September 24, Green is set to follow the same path that Jason Behrendorff, James Pattinson, Ben Dwarshuis, and New Zealand quicks Shane Bond and Matt Henry have taken by having screws and a titanium cable fused into his lower back to stabilise the stress fracture and prevent future occurrences. Green has spoken to WA and club teammate Behrendorff about his experience,” ESPNCricinfo reported.
CA released a statement outlining the reasoning for the surgery.
“Cam has a unique defect in an adjacent area to the fracture that is believed to be contributing to the injury,” the statement said. “After thorough consultation, it was determined Cameron would benefit from the surgery to stabilise the defect and reduce the risk of future recurrence.”
As per the available information, the recovery from stress fracture ranges depending on the player, but it is usually for a minimum of nine months. However, Cricket Australia feels that it will only take Green six months to get fit.
In the next six months, apart from high-profile Test series against India, Green will miss the Test tour of Sri Lanka early next year as well as the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.
He could make a comeback to competitive cricket during the IPL next year and possibly play in the WTC 2025 final as well if the Baggy Greens manage to secure a place in the summit clash, which is set to take place at the Lord’s.
