Ricky Ponting critiques Cameron Green’s “nervous” batting and Marnus Labuschagne’s slump ahead of the final Ashes Test.
Cameron Green’s microscopic lens
Is it potential enough to pay the rent on the Australian Test side? For Cameron Green, the “rent” is due at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and the currency required is runs, not reach.
As the fifth Ashes Test looms, the 26-year-old all-rounder finds himself under a microscopic lens held by none other than Ricky Ponting. The verdict is sobering:
the golden boy of Australian cricket is looking increasingly like a man lost in a technical maze of his own making.
The Melbourne Meltdown and the Rigid Reality
Cameron Green’s performances in Melbourne—scores of 17 and 19—were not just low; they were static.
While his Sheffield Shield record suggests a player of generational talent, his Test average of 32.25 tells a story of a man failing to bridge the gap.
Ponting, speaking with the clinical precision of a former skipper, noted that Green looks “stiff and very rigid” at the crease.
When you are a “big, tall man,” as Ponting describes him, that rigidity is fatal.
In the furnace of an Ashes series, if your feet aren’t moving and your hands are tight, the ball feels like a projectile rather than something to be manipulated.
The Curse of the Utility Player
The most damning part of Green’s current struggle isn’t his swing; it’s his schedule. Australia has treated Green like a human Tetris piece, moving him from number three to five to seven.
The “Deep Dive” reality that most commentators overlook is that each batting position requires a different neurological “set.” At number three, you are a shield; at number seven, you are a finisher.
By forcing Green to inhabit every role, the team management has effectively ensured he masters none.
This constant shifting has given rise to a “very nervous starter” who appears to have introduced himself to the pitch for the first time every time.
The Labuschagne Warning: A Century-Less Year
While Green is the primary target, Marnus Labuschagne is quietly walking his own plank. It has been since July 2023—nearly 18 months—since Labuschagne last raised his bat for a Test hundred.
His series has been a frustrating binary of six low scores under 20, peppered with just two half-centuries.
For a player who once lived at the top of the ICC rankings, this drop-off isn’t just a slump; it’s a trend.
The consistency that made him the “weird and wonderful” anchor of the side has been replaced by an uncharacteristic vulnerability early in his innings.
Advice for the SCG
- Stop the “Gap-Filling”: The selectors need to pick a spot for Green and lock him in. Versatility is a virtue in T20, but it is a vice in Test cricket for a player searching for their soul.
- Prioritize Tempo over Technique: Green doesn’t need a new cover drive; he needs a “tempo.” He is currently playing at a speed that suits the bowler, not himself. He needs to find a way to dictate the rhythm of the session rather than surviving it.
Key Takeaways for the Final Test:
- The “Nervous 10”: Green’s survival in the first ten balls will dictate his career trajectory.
- Marnus’s Milestone: Without a big score in Sydney, the conversation around Labuschagne’s “inevitability” in the top order will shift toward “replacement.”
- The Talent Ceiling: Potential is a depreciating asset; the SCG is the last chance to cash in before the market closes.
The Australian camp remains vocal about how good they think Green can be. But as the shadows lengthen on this Ashes series, the cricketing public is starting to care less about what he could be and much more about what he is.