Green just keep things simple in Tests: Ponting on under-performing all-rounder

The legendary Ricky Ponting has advised tall Australian all-rounder Cameron Green to keep things simple and not over analyse or tinker with his game in order to find the right approach in Tests. Green, who recently became the costliest overseas buy in IPL history at the mini auction after being purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders for a Rs 25.20 crore, has had an underwhelming Ashes series against England.

While Australia have already clinched the Ashes after winning the first three Tests, Green has scored just 76 runs and picked up two wickets. “Apparently, he’s a very deep thinker about his own game and likes to tinker with things a lot,” former Australia captain Ponting said on the ICC Review. “But if I had some advice for him, it’d be just keep things as simple as you can, think about what you’ve done at domestic cricket and take your domestic game to the Test match and back it in for a while,” he added.

Green, who made his debut against India five years back in Adelaide, has so far played 35 Tests with the pace-bowling all-rounder taking 37 wickets and chipping in with 1,641 runs at an average of around 33. With numbers not quite adding up, Ponting believes the 26-year-old Green’s contribution is hard to measure at this stage of his career. “It’s actually quite hard to get a gauge on him yet as an international player.

He averages under 30 in Australia now. His career averages just over 30. “He’s made two Test match hundreds in 30-odd Test matches. He’s had back surgery, and his bowling pace is probably not quite what it was 12 months ago,” opined Ponting. However, the legend sounded quite optimistic about Green, saying the all-rounder’s skills do underline his potential in the Baggy Green. “But there is a very complete package there if it all comes together. And we’ve seen him play some pretty remarkable innings.

“He made an incredible 100 in New Zealand last year. He’s got 100 in India as well, albeit on a very, very flat pitch.” Green scored his maiden Test century in Ahmedabad, scoring 114 after coming in at a tricky situation, while his best effort followed a year later in March 2024, when he hammered an unbeaten 174 in Wellington to guide Australia to a 172-run win. “Talking to the players, talking to the coaching staff, they absolutely love what he brings to the group, said Ponting.

“The biggest challenge he has is, he’s just got to find out the right way and right style for him to play, work out what’s going to work for him, and then commit to that and stick to it for a long period of time.” Ponting, however, said that Australia persisting with Green in the ongoing Ashes had impacted the chances of another tall all-rounder Beau Webster. “But the unfortunate player in this whole Australian summer so far has been Beau Webster. He didn’t do much wrong in the games that he played. Certainly, in Australia, in his debut game, he was very good,” said Ponting.

“Then had to go to the West Indies, where the wickets were very, very challenging for all batters. And he got undone by a couple of almost unplayable deliveries over there. “He got injured at the start of the Australian summer and missed a couple of Shield games, which probably didn’t help because he didn’t get the same sort of run-in and runs under his belt as someone like Labuschagne did. Unfortunately, Beau didn’t have that, and as I said, I actually feel a bit for him, and he might be the one that they’re thinking about in that number 7 slot as well.”