Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey

As Cameron Green struck multiple hundreds for Gloucestershire in the lead up to the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, Australian selectors were adamant he needed to be back in the side. Green, playing professional cricket for the first time since back surgery, was looking in good touch.

However, Australia only had openings at the top of the order as Steve Smith, Travis Head and Beau Webster were certain starters. Webster enjoyed a superb start to his Test career and provides the all-important fifth bowling option given Green is only batting.

George Bailey and Andrew McDonald have spoken in the past of their desire to have their perceived best six batters in the country playing for the Test side, no matter where they bat in the order. Green’s runs in the middle order in County cricket can easily be transferred to the top of the order in Test cricket, right?

Not quite.

A run of low scores is not uncommon for a number three, especially against quality pace bowlers on helpful pitches. Green’s returns of 4, 0, 3, and 15 against South Africa and West Indies respectively are obviously underwhelming. However, it’s the manner of Green’s dismissals that are cause for concern.

Analysis: A look at why Cameron Green is struggling at number three

Cameron Green’s struggles are underpinned by four key technical deficiencies that make it nigh on impossible to succeed in such a crucial position:

• Pushes with very hard hands.
• Heavy on his feet.
• Backfoot slides across to the legside at point of impact when looking to punch through the offside.
• Bat comes down at an angle across his front pad against deliveries pitched around the stumps.

Issue #1: Pushing out with hard hands

Australia, in a time of batting uncertainty, need confidence from their number three. Green has often been a nervous starter in Test cricket, and the move to three has exposed this significantly.

With nerves comes Green’s desire to get bat on ball. He pushes out with hard hands and is loose on offstump. Sure, there is a shift towards more attacking strokeplay in Test cricket, but allowing the ball to come to you and playing late remains vital, especially on surfaces offering movement.

Below are screenshots of two of his four dismissals since moving to number three. The first – in the second innings of the WTC Final – sees Green getting down the pitch to counter the threat of Kagiso Rabada. However, Green ends up pushing hard at a delivery just outside the offstump, and seam movement has him in trouble. He nicks to slip.

The second – in the first innings of the opening Test against West Indies – is arguably worse. His bat is way out in front to a delivery in the channel. He nicks to slip again.

“If you’re going to bat at number three for Australia, or any Test side, you need to be a little bit tighter in your defence than that,” said Greg Blewett on commentary on day one.

“That to me is just nerves, pure nerves. He wants bat on ball. If you’re getting wide of off stump … you’ve got to be a little bit more focused and play it a little bit better. He’s a better player than this. He’s just showing his nerves at the moment.”

Issue #2: Not light enough on his feet

Green looked composed and assured during his magnificent 174* against New Zealand batting at number four last year. His footwork looked better than ever in Test cricket, providing hope that he had moved past the struggles from earlier in his career.

However, those issues have come roaring back in the past few weeks. Green is quite heavy on his feet and plants his front foot, which doesn’t allow him to adjust quickly enough to what the ball is doing. Couple this with the hard hands mentioned above, and it is a recipe for disaster.

The first screenshot below is from his dismissal in the second innings of the first Test against West Indies. Green’s feet are firmly planted, which doesn’t allow him to be nimble enough to adjust.

This ties in closely with the second screenshot below, from the first innings against West Indies. Green’s front foot is still on the move as he hits the ball, highlighting the ongoing issue with his slow footwork.

Issue #3: Back foot slides to the legside when looking to punch through the offside

Green becomes an even likelier candidate to edge the ball when trying to punch through the offside, given the position of his back foot. Instead of the back foot coming into line, it shifts towards the legside, throwing off Green’s positioning and balance.

The two screenshots below are from the second delivery he faced in the West Indies series. His back foot slides further out to the legside at point of contact, making him very susceptible to edging the ball. In this instance, Brandon King dropped the catch at gully.

This issue was even more pronounced in his second innings dismissal. Looking to punch through the offside on the back foot, Green got himself in an awkward position, with his back foot again sliding out to the legside, ensuring his weight wasn’t fully into the shot.

Issue #4: Green’s bat comes down at an angle to deliveries pitched on the stumps

If the channel wasn’t dangerous enough, Green can also nick off to deliveries pitched on or close to the stumps. Against balls pitched further up, Green’s bat often comes down at an angle and across his front pad. He is also an LBW candidate as a result. In fact, he survived a close shout on day two of the first Test against West Indies.

The first three screenshots below are from day one of the WTC Final. Rabada bowls a beautiful delivery which nips away, but Green’s hard hands and angled bat means a dropped catch is his only hope of survival. Aiden Markram took a superb catch behind a diving Wiaan Mulder.

The fourth screenshot is of the LBW appeal in Barbados.

These glaring issues require hours of practice to rectify. I still believe Green has what it takes to be a successful Test cricketer, but number four is the absolute highest he should bat. With Steve Smith still going strong, Green will have to bide his time for that position.

Also, Beau Webster has made a strong start to his Test career in Green’s usual number six spot. So, it’s best the selectors take Green out of the spotlight and focus on fixing the technical issues that are plaguing him currently.

“Leading into the Australian series [Ashes] at home, how is the top three going to shape up?” Greg Blewett asked at stumps on day two of the first Test in Barbados.

“Who’s going to bat at number three for Australia? To me, Cameron Green isn’t the answer. There’s some things for the Australian selectors to work out.”

Marnus Labuschagne was dropped for the first Test against West Indies, but there is every chance he gets recalled quickly. Also, Australia have options domestically including Nathan McSweeney and Kurtis Patterson.

Time will tell who bats at three in the Ashes. On this evidence, however, it cannot be Cameron Green.