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Australia coach Justin Langer has confirmed that Cameron Green will make his Test debut against India in Adelaide if he passes concussion protocols over the next couple of days with Matthew Wade shaping as a potential opener if the allrounder does play.
Langer said there had been “good news” on Green’s progress on Tuesday morning following the blow he took on the side of his head in his follow through against the Indians at the SCG.
“If he’s passed fit he’ll definitely play,” Langer said. “We are just going through the protocols. He had another test this morning which we got good news on. He’s a terrific young bloke, obviously an excellent talent, he’s earned the right for selection through his performances. It’s very exciting for Australian cricket for him and his family.”
He added that the selection decisions were a “jigsaw puzzle” with “a lot of balls in the air” and whether Green gets the medical sign-off to be available will determine the balance of Australia’s XI.
The other big call that needs to be made is whether to show faith in badly out-of-form opener Joe Burns – who has made 62 runs in nine innings this season – although his experience may still tip the scales in his favour.
Langer also confirmed that Marnus Labuschagne would not be considered as an interim opening batsman with the aim to make as few changes to the batting order as possible – which would point towards an elevation for Wade from No. 6 if Green is available.
“I have been backing Joe in the whole time,” Langer said. “He’s a very good player, you don’t lose your talent overnight. He also understands that runs are the greatest currency to any player and he’s been a bit light on. We’ll get eyes on him today, see how he’s going, have a chat to him and we’ll make our decision on who will open in the next day or so.
“Marnus won’t be opening, he’s done an amazing job at No. 3. Steve Smith does an amazing job at No. 4. We’ll try and stay as settled as possible while David [Warner] is injured. We’ve got some tough decisions to be made.
“We’ve got to wait and see what happens with Cameron Green first so that’s one part of jigsaw puzzle. We’ll look at Joe and Marcus [Harris] today to see how they are tracking at training. We’ve got to pick our six best [batsmen] and that’s all part of the jigsaw puzzle. There’s a lot of balls in the air, I wish we could be more definite, not only for you guys but more importantly for our players but until we get a few things ticked off we can’t make a decision.”
When pressed on whether Wade could adapt to opening the batting, something he has never done in first-class cricket but has in the limited-overs game, Langer said: “He could…he could handle anywhere, he’s mentally tough, physically tough, he’s got good footwork, he can counterattack like David Warner. We’ve just got to work out what the best make-up of our team is going to be.”
Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo
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