‘Complete package’: Cameron Green an Australian legend in the making

“I’m not trying to compare myself to Ben Stokes,” the 22-year-old responded. “I think he’s the best in the world.

“I’ll have to see how it goes. I’m sure when I play more Tests I might get a bit more confidence … get a bit more self-belief that you can win a match by yourself.”

Nine matches into his Test career, Green may not necessarily have a bucket of centuries and five-wicket hauls to his name just yet, but he utterly outclassed the “best in the world” this summer.

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Stokes claimed four wickets at 71.50 and scored 236 runs at 23.60 in the Ashes series, which Australia comprehensively won 4-0. In comparison, Green snared 13 scalps at 15.76 and cracked 228 runs at 32.57.

No Australian cricketer has ever scored more runs and simultaneously taken more wickets at a lower average in a Test series.

During the five Ashes contests, Green had a higher batting average than Steve Smith and a lower bowling average than Pat Cummins.

Mark Wood was the only England bowler to claim more wickets than Green — Root was the only England batter with more 50+ scores.

Green also became just the fourth cricketer in history to score 200+ runs and take 10+ wickets in an Ashes series before their 23rd birthday, joining Charles Macartney, Steve Waugh and Stokes.

But arguably the most impressive detail in Green’s Ashes campaign were the players he dismissed — of the 13 Test wickets he claimed this summer, 10 were top-order batters.

He removed England No. 3 Dawid Malan, Root and Stokes twice each, while also dismissing Rory Burns, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope.

“He‘s just as good as any all-rounder in the world at the moment I think,” Cummins told reporters on Sunday.

“For someone so young, as a captain, I feel really lucky not only to draw on him as a bowler but when he’s next into bat I just feel so calm.

“He showed he absolutely belongs at this level as a Test batter and then as a bowler, he‘s a genuine fourth quick.

“I feel like I turned to him sometimes before I turned to myself or someone else. He‘s just got that bounce, he’s got the control, incredible skills, and he’s been so bowling so well, we’ve only had to bowl him 10 or 15 overs a day or an innings. Again, you forget how young he is, just seeing him at gully as well.

“He is absolutely the complete package. But he’s young, so we’ve got to keep looking after him. But a bright future ahead.”

Before making his Test debut in December 2020, Australian great Greg Chappell labelled Green “the best since Ponting”, a statement that raised plenty of eyebrows at the time.

But Green’s a verified matchwinner, and Sunday evening’s abysmal fourth-innings collapse at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena was all the proof you need.

After England had been set an unlikely target of 271 for victory, openers Burns and Crawley combined for a crucial 68-run partnership.

As the runs required dipped below 210 in the 16th over, almighty WinViz was narrowly tipping England as the favourites — until Green intervened.

The young gun claimed three wickets in 20 balls to demolish England’s top-order, removing their top three batters to swing momentum firmly back in Australia’s favour. England’s WinViz dropped from 59 per cent to 34 per cent.

“He’s exceptional,” former England captain Michael Vaughan told Fox Cricket.

“We’ve seen in the last couple of Test matches the promise with the bat, he fields, he catches.

“I said it a few Test matches ago, he’ll dominate maybe one or two Ashes series on his own. “I mean he’s having a big impact on this one, but I think he’s got the ability and skill levels to dominate a series on his own.”

Green’s bowling and batting has improved drastically from last summer, where he had a commendable but somewhat underwhelming maiden Test series against India.

He tinkered with his batting technique halfway through the summer, worked on squaring up his stance following remarks from former Australian captain Ricky Ponting in the media.

“There was a bit of a change, trying to get my foot around in my pre-ball movement,” Green told cricket.com.au. “I don’t think I changed too much.

“Ricky mentioned it in the media. There’s not many guys you would (rather) listen to. He’s a guy I looked up to.

“He relayed that to the coaches and people I trust, and I felt like we were all on a pretty similar page. So it came about from Ricky’s comments.”

The changes immediately paid dividends, with Green scoring a pair of gritty 74s in Sydney and Hobart.

His power and raw skill was never in question, but as the tall right-hander matures and gains confidence on the international arena, he’ll reap the rewards over the coming years.

As revealed by Ben Jones in CODE, 24 per cent of Green’s deliveries were on a good line and length during the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This summer, that figure improved to 36 per cent.

His speed also lifted, with his average pace climbing to 139km/h, up from 136km/h last season.

And lastly, Green found 15 per cent more seam movement against England than he did against the Indians.

“His bowling’s just gone through the roof,” Ponting told cricket.com.au.

“It’s been hostile, it’s been skilful, he hasn’t leaked runs.

“Every time he’s come on for a spell he’s looked dangerous and hit his lines and lengths straight away.”

Green’s had a breakthrough summer, but he’s only going to get better.

Originally published as ‘Complete package’: Cameron Green an Australian legend in the making