Australian allrounder’s timely century has helped Western Australia to a healthy first-innings lead over NSW in the Sheffield Shield
Cameron Green will finish his home summer with a much-needed century, after hitting Western Australia into a commanding position against NSW.
WA went to stumps at 7-302 on Sunday in Sydney for a 70-run lead after the Blues were bowled out for 232 on day one.
Cameron Bancroft hit 57 for the visitors and Liam Hatcher claimed 4-53 for NSW, but it was Green who owned the day with an unbeaten 130.
After a disappointing Ashes series where he failed to pass 50 in eight innings, Green’s spot in Australia’s Test team has appeared under threat.
But the 26-year-old made use of this weekend’s dead rubber to post his first red-ball century of the summer across any format.
The allrounder was patient early on Sunday when he arrived with WA at 2-33, before taking charge of the game as part of a 109-run stand with Bancroft.
Green pulled Ryan Hadley for two sixes and Charlie Stobo for one, while also clearing the legside boundary twice off spinner Joel Davies.
He raised his hundred from 167 balls when he cut Davies for a single, with WA already moving towards a sizeable lead.
The right-hander’s last century came in an ODI against South Africa in August, while his most recent red-ball ton was in English county cricket for Gloucestershire last May.
He still held his spot ahead of Beau Webster throughout the summer’s Ashes series, with the Tasmanian overlooked for the first four Tests before the two allrounders played in Sydney.
Green did not bowl in NSW’s first innings on Saturday, with this match his first since Australia’s doomed T20 World Cup campaign in Sri Lanka and India.
Australia’s next Test series comes in August against Bangladesh, before three in South Africa and four at home against New Zealand.

