Cameron Green

Cameron Green was earmarked as an international cricket from very early. Contracted to Western Australia as a schoolboy, he took 5 for 24 on first-class debut against Tasmania in February 2017 as a 17-year-old. He was selected initially for his bowling given his 200cm frame and his ability to deliver fast outswing but was plagued by stress fractures. However, throughout his junior days with Subiaco-Floreat and WA's junior teams his technically sound batting and an unquenchable thirst for scoring runs saw him emerge as a genuine allrounder of rare ability.

Green didn't play any first-class cricket in 2017-18 and spent the 2018 winter at Cricket Australia's National Performance Centre in Brisbane. His game went to another level in 2019-20 after another stress fracture in his lower back forced him to stop bowling again. He made his maiden first-class century, producing scores of 87* and 121* to force an extraordinary draw against Queensland at the Gabba. He would score two more centuries that summer before posting a career-best 197 from 438 balls against New South Wales in October 2020.

That performance led to his first international call-up as he was named in Australia's ODI and T20I squads to face a touring India side which was followed by a Test debut against the same opposition. He made half-centuries in each of his first four series then claimed a maiden five-wicket haul against South Africa the MCG in late 2022 - during a game where he badly broke his finger. Shortly after returning to side in India he made a maiden Test hundred in Ahmedabad.

By then, his cross-format skills had caught the eye after a pair of dazzling T20I fifties in India led to a bidding war in the 2022 IPL auction where Green fetched AU$3.15million from Mumbai Indians and he went on to flay a memorable 47-ball century in the 2023 tournament.

However, the demand of being a three-format player brought challenges and Test cricket was a struggle during the 2023 Ashes with Green eventually losing his spot to the resurgent Mitchell Marsh. But such was the desire of the selectors to get him back into the side that when David Warner retired the move to promote Steven Smith to open was largely to accommodate Green at No. 4. Three matches into the role, he struck a magnificent 174 not out in Wellington.
ESPNcricinfo staff