The devastating news has thrown Australia’s plans for the huge series into chaos.
In a shattering blow for Cameron Green, the young Australian allrounder is now likely to miss the entire India series due to back surgery.
The decision has been weighing on the minds of Green and Cricket Australia, and it is now expected that CA will book the 25-year-old in for summer-ending surgery on his stress fracture.
A final consultation is imminent, and Green will then learn his fate once and for all.
Green’s absence from at least part of the summer leaves a workload dilemma for a huge five-match series against India that is shaping as Australia’s sternest home test since Pat Cummins became captain.
It has also thrown Australia’s plans for their fierce rival into chaos.
The surgery could pave the way for Steve Smith to drop back to No.4 and a specialist opener to join the top of the order, but the bigger concern appears to lie in bowling loads.
At 32, Australia’s second allrounder Mitch Marsh has been used sparingly for his medium pace since making his fairytale return to the Test set-up last year, deployed for a total of only 38 overs across his last seven Test matches.
The workload of the big three pacemen — Cummins, Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood — is also likely to be a delicate balancing act again this summer as the trio prepare to feature in all five Tests.
That leaves veteran Nathan Lyon as a leading candidate to pick up the slack, with the legendary off-spinner declaring that he is aiming to bowl as much as possible against India.
“I’m preparing to,” he said.
“I’m wanting to bowl a lot of overs. That’s what I love doing in Test cricket. I’ll do whatever I have to do for the team. Pat knows that, everyone knows that.”
Part-time spinners Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne could also take on part of Green’s workload following impressive spells during the white-ball tour of the UK.
Head’s off-spin yielded 4-28 in the fifth ODI against England to help seal a series victory for the tourists, while Labuschagne took 3-39 in the opening match. Both were ODI career-best figures.
“Trav bowled pretty well the other day in the one-dayer and so did Marnus so I think we’ve got enough options,” Lyon said.
“You’ve (also) obviously got the three best bowlers in the world in my eyes. I think there’s enough there to cover for the summer. It’s going to be an amazing summer.”
Lyon took a five-fer in the first of what he expects to be three Sheffield Shield games for NSW before the Test summer.
He swept through the tail to confirm figures of 5-47 as NSW restricted South Australia to 260.
The 36-year-old said he was hungry for what is likely to be his last home Test series against India.
“I’ve been itching to get back playing. It’s what I love doing. I feel like I’ve been training the house down, in a really good headspace,” he said.
“It’s obviously a massive summer ahead.”
