Cameron Green is set to be out of action for at least six months due to a back stress fracture. The star Australian pace-bowling all-rounder has decided to undergo surgery which rules him out of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Green complained of lower back pain when Australia flew to the UK in September for a slew of white-ball games against Scotland and England. Scans confirmed that it was a stress fracture but Cricket Australia (CA) in a statement stated that Green had a ‘unique defect in an adjacent area to the fracture that is believed to be contributing to the injury.’
The 25-year-old Western Australian was given the option of undergoing surgery or persisting with rehab which would’ve increased his chances of playing in the five-match Test series against India. However, Green opted for the former in order to avoid recurrence of such an injury.
This will be the first major layoff for Green ever since he made his international debut back in December 2020 in an ODI against India. His Test debut came a couple of weeks later and he has been around the Australian Test setup as one of the key members.
His absence from the Test team means that Steve Smith will slot back in at No. 4, as confirmed by Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey. Australia will need to find a new opener to partner Usman Khawaja for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Green in doubt for IPL 2025
With Green out for at least six months and his return uncertain, his participation in the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is also in doubt. While CA have put a timeline of six months, it could even possibly take longer and with the World Test Championship (WTC) final right after the IPL 2025, the selectors may not want to risk him in the cash-rich T20 league.
Hence, the uncertainty around his recovery and rehab could well have an impact on his retention. Green has featured in two seasons of the IPL so far. He was bought by Mumbai Indians (MI) for a whopping sum of INR 17.5 crore in the 2023 season of the IPL before he was traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2024.
Green was one of the expected retentions for RCB, given the fact that he was traded in just one season prior to the mega auction. Moreover, he performed really well in the 2024 season, taking 10 scalps at an economy of 8.61 and scoring 255 runs at a strike-rate of 143.25. Overall, he has scored 707 runs at an average of 41.58 and a strike-rate of 153.69 and has taken 16 wickets in his 29-game IPL career.
