Cameron Green Maid Century in Ahmedabad Masterclass, Cricket News 2023

It was always a question of when, not if, Cameron Green would score his first century in the Test.

Since making his international debut in late 2020, the West Australian has been an integral part of the Test team and has made several valuable contributions with the racquet. After making a pair of 74s in the 2021/22 Ashes series, he was named player of the match after replacing a classy 77 in a furious gymnast in Galle against Sri Lanka.

He then compiled a half-century unbeaten run against South Africa while batting a broken finger at the final Boxing Day Test. The ability was undeniable, but a coveted ton eluded him.

Watch Australia’s Tour of India. Every test & ODI live & ad-free while playing on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Green was dismissed five times 70-85 in the Test arena before the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy and never managed to convert the starts into triple digits.

His potential was undeniable but some fans were growing impatient and wondering how long national selectors would last with the 23-year-old. Thankfully, all speculation about his future in the Test team has been put to bed after Friday’s majestic century at Narendra Modi Stadium.

Green hit 16 limits on his way to his first test ton and surpassed the milestone in 143 deliveries. He is only the third Australian Test cricketer to achieve a century and record five wickets before his 24th birthday, joining Ron Archer and Michael Clarke on the illustrious list.

Green linked with fellow centurion Usman Khawaja in a 208-run partnership for the fifth wicket to put Australia in a dominant position in the fourth Test.

The right-hander indulged Indian navigators Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav with a series of powerful pull shots, graceful straight drives and subtle late cuts – throwing in a few textbook cover drives for good measure.

He was more patient against the spinners, repeatedly pushing forward on defense or shoving short balls into gaps to turn the shot.

After entering the jittery nineties for the first time in his Test career, some errors began to creep into Green’s shots – in the pre-lunch final he pushed Shami through the empty slip cordon for a boundary, possibly his first error of the innings.

At lunch unbeaten at 95, Green nudged a single before Indian spinner Ravindra gifted Jadeja a ranked half tracker, who was promptly beaten by the point for a boundary.

The smile on Green’s face as he greeted the crowd in Ahmedabad was heartwarming. Pure relief.

“Every time we’ve seen him, he gets better and better,” said former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin at Fox Cricket.

“More impressive is the pace at which he played. He came and took over the game. He hasn’t missed an opportunity to score, so his mindset is all about scoring, not just filling the circle.

“The Indians have no answer for him.”

Green’s knock ended suddenly at 114 when a Ravichandran Ashwin delivery grazed his glove while attempting a sweep shot, with wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat claiming a catch on the side of the leg.

The all-rounder was not available for the first two tests in Nagpur and Delhi due to injury and his presence was sorely missed. He evens out the starting XI by offering a fifth bowling option while his punching power has already proven itself on the subcontinent.