Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back after experiencing pain during last month’s tour of England.
Green has previously suffered 4 stress fractures in his back but has not encountered any issues in that area since 2019. Though stress fractures are common among cricketers, Cricket Australia (CA) said that the 25-year-old has a “unique defect”.
“Whilst spine stress fractures are not unusual in pace bowlers, Cam has a unique defect in an adjacent area to the fracture that is believed to be contributing to the injury,” a CA statement said on Monday.
Following a week of evaluations and discussions, Green decided to opt for a similar type of surgery undergone by several pacers including Jasprit Bumrah, James Pattinson, Jason Behrendorff, and Ben Dwarshuis.
“After thorough consultation it was determined Cameron would benefit from the surgery to stabilise the defect and reduce the risk of future recurrence,” CA said.
The alternative to surgery would have involved rehabilitation and restricting his bowling during the 5-match Test series against India, starting November 22 in Perth.
“The surgery has been performed successfully with elite pace bowlers in the past. Recovery time is anticipated to be around six-months. The decision to proceed to surgery is with Cameron’s long-term future as an all-rounder in mind,” the statement added.
However, a six-month recovery time will mean Green misses the Border Gavaskar Trophy, February’s Test tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy tournament while his participation in the IPL is also in doubt.
His absence would also mean Australia will have to rejig their batting order. They will also have to find someone to bowl Green’s overs.
