Australia head coach Andrew McDonald announced on Tuesday, October 6, that all-rounder Cameron Green will be unavailable for the opening Test match against South Africa in Durban. The 27-year-old sustained an abdominal injury after being struck by a delivery from Corbin Bosch during the third ODI in Potchefstroom last week.
Following the incident, Green missed the subsequent two-day tour fixture to prioritize his recovery. McDonald noted that while the injury currently keeps him sidelined, the player is showing positive signs of progress. “He’s progressing pretty well, all things considered, on the back of the injury that he had to his abdominal,” the coach stated, adding that Green remains with the squad because there is a genuine hope he could participate later in the series, potentially as a specialist batter.
As part of his rehabilitation program, Green is scheduled to undergo a demanding week of activity, including participation in net sessions during the first Test to gauge his readiness. McDonald emphasized that the recovery timeline remains somewhat fluid, yet the team maintains optimism regarding his eventual return. “It’s a bit of an unknown, but there’s still optimism that he will take part in the series at some stage,” McDonald said. He’s got a pretty demanding week this week as he reintroduces a few activities and and you’ll see that probably play out in the net situation during lunchtime in and around the game.
In light of Green’s absence, questions have arisen regarding the inclusion of 32-year-old Beau Webster. Having made his Test debut against India in Sydney in January 2025 and participated in the two-Test series against Bangladesh this past August, Webster is a candidate, though McDonald dismissed the idea that any selection is automatic. “I don’t think anything’s automatic,” he explained. And has played 10 Tests since January 2025, when he made his debut against India in Sydney, the 32-year-old all-rounder featured in the two-Test series against Bangladesh in August this year along with Green.
The Australian camp is currently evaluating their options and remains flexible regarding team composition. McDonald indicated that the squad has the depth to adapt to different match conditions, noting, “The beauty of the squad that we’ve got is we can go in many directions, depending on what we hypothesize is going to happen over the five days.” The team plans to finalize their strategy following a final practice session, which will provide further clarity on player fitness and the characteristics of the match surface. And three days out is never the time to start having those discussions, so there’s a lot of discussion about which way we can go. According to we’ve got a main session today, so we’ll get a bit more information on where the players are at in terms of you know their skill work and how they’re placed, and as that surface starts to present closer to the game as to what it may start like, I think that’s when we can narrow in,”, The Australia coach.
