In the absence of swashbuckling David Warner, all-rounder Cameron Green smoothly delivered in his new role as an opener in the T20Is against India, hitting two stunning half-centuries in Mohali and Hyderabad at a whopping strike-rate of 214.54.
Green's eye-catching knocks saw him land a spot in Australia's upcoming two-match T20I series against West Indies on the Gold Coast and Brisbane on October 5 and 7 respectively. But with Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc returning, Green may not be in the playing eleven.
Marsh, the all-rounder who was critical in Australia winning Men's T20 World Cup at the UAE last year, believes that though the cricket fans and critics were taken by surprise on seeing Green's onslaught with the bat, none of the members in the side were left astonished.
"People from the outside might be surprised but no one's surprised (internally). He's a super talent. He was given a role to go out and be really aggressive. To have someone like him not in your team, it shows how good we are.
We're the defending world champions for a reason.""Most importantly for me it's the unselfishness - he's got incredible skill, but for a young guy who hasn't got a cemented spot in that team to play fearless cricket, that shows more about him than his actual skill," Marsh was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
Green's showings with the bat in India mean he can garner huge interest from the Indian Premier League (IPL) sides despite him not being a part of Men's T20 World Cup next month in Australia. "It's just the start of his T20 career.
The amount of money he's going to earn over the next 10 years, I'm going to be looking for a couple of free feeds," added Marsh.Marsh, whose elevation to the number three position in the batting order was pivotal in Australia clinching their first T20 title last year, is hopeful of coming back to action after injuring his ankle last month in ODI series against Zimbabwe in Townsville.
"I'm feeling great. The ankle over the last 10 days has come along really well. I'm back running, doing everything so I'm looking forward to getting stuck in."
Australia squad for T20Is against the West Indies: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa