'He's playing beautifully' - Is Green Australia's new T20 middle-order fulcrum?

Fitting the giant puzzle piece of Cameron Green into Australia's best XI in each of the three formats has been one of the more vexing challenges the national selectors and coaching staff have faced across the all-rounder's career to date.

They have yet to find the right spot for him in Tests, with their latest attempt to settle him at No. 3 returning some dividends after previous stints at No. 6 and No. 4. But whether he stays there remains to be seen especially when he returns to bowling later in the year.

They aren't the only team to have trouble finding his optimal role in T20 cricket specifically. He batted in four different positions in his first seven BBL games for Perth Scorchers. He debuted for Australia in T20Is at No.6 but then opened in his next seven games.

Mumbai Indians (MI) paid AUD 3.15 million for his services ahead of the 2023 IPL and bounced him through four different spots, despite having success at No.3 including scoring an unbeaten 100 off 47 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

MI released him and Royal Challengers Bengaluru took on the challenge in 2024 and used him in four different positions including batting in three different spots in his last three games of that season.

But as Australia looks to regenerate their T20I line-up ahead of the 2026 World Cup following the retirements of David Warner and Matthew Wade, Green looks like he may have become the new fulcrum at No.4.

Once the exclusive domain of Glenn Maxwell, who now looks set for a slightly different role as a specialist spin-hitter in certain scenarios given his indifferent play against pace bowling in recent times, Green looks to be thriving in what is arguably one of the toughest roles in short-form cricket.

Four of his last six innings have come at No. 4, either side of a ten-month layoff due to back surgery. In those innings he has scored 36 off 29 and 62 not out off 39 against Scotland last September, and 51 off 26 and 56 not out off 32 against West Indies in the first two T20Is in Jamaica. The last three of those innings have come in successful chases. Against Scotland he walked in during the powerplay at 18 for 2 with Australia needing 150.

Against West Indies in the first T20I, he walked out in the powerplay again and watched Australia slump to 78 for 4 chasing 190. In the second one, he again entered in the powerplay chasing 173 and shared a record third-wicket stand with Josh Inglis.

"He's playing beautifully," Inglis said after Tuesday's win at Sabina Park. "He's been champing at the bit for this series. At the end of the Test series he was so excited to get into the colours, and he obviously hasn't played much T20 cricket in the last few years. So I think to do what he's done so far in this series has been outstanding. He's put the bowlers under pressure, but I think he's read the situations of the game really well also."

There has been some luck involved. But what has been noticeable is Green's ability to hit both pace and spin from the outset. In game one, he walked out to face a fired-up Alzarri Joseph who was bowling quicker than anyone had in the game and launched three of his first five balls for six whilst getting pinned on the shoulder in between. There was a sizeable gulf between the way Green handled the pace and bounce compared to Maxwell at the other end.

But when spin was thrown at Green and Mitchell Owen straight out of the drinks break, Green picked up three twos into the leg side with good placement and sharp running to complement Owen's power at the other end before later unleashing himself.

Green has hit nine sixes in the series out of Australia's 29 across the two games so far. They have out-hit West Indies, who won two World T20 titles with a power-based brand, by eight across the two matches. Green has struck 16 sixes across his last four innings at No.4 in T20Is. What will impress Australia's leaders the most is his fearlessness, especially when contrasted against his tentativeness at times in his Test career. His form at the back-end of the Test series in brutally challenging conditions, combined with his experience in the IPL will have no doubt boosted his confidence ahead of this series.

It is very early in Australia's build towards the T20 World Cup next year in India and Sri Lanka. They have three more games in this series plus another 12 (and possibly more) before the tournament starts. But one of Australia's key targets across those games was to bed down a middle-order combination that could succeed the one that won them the 2021 T20 World Cup.

A power combination of Green, Tim David, Owen and Maxwell in some kind of order looks ominous for opponents, with Marcus Stoinis still in consideration to come back in at some stage. That would follow a likely top three of Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head and Inglis. Green could be the man to gel it all together if his form at No.4 continues.