Cameron Green says bowling ‘felt really good’ after breaking 140kph

NEW DELHI: Cameron Green says he is ready to unleash his full pace against England in the Ashes, revealing that his titanium-stabilised spine has enabled him to break the 140kph barrier in a match for the first time since his back surgery.

Speaking on cricket.com.au’s Unplayable Podcast, the Australian all-rounder said his recent Sheffield Shield outing gave him the confidence that he can withstand a heavy workload throughout the five-Test series. “It felt really good,” Green said of the 16 overs he bowled against Queensland. “It was 35 degrees day one, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, have I completely lost my bowling fitness here?’ But it was nice to look around and all the bowlers who bowl heaps were also struggling. The body felt really good after – so big tick.”

Green admitted that although he had been bowling plenty in the nets, returning to match play triggered an intensity he had missed. “Nothing is quite like bowling in a game. The intensity – you just hit a level that you just can’t hit in the nets,” he noted. “I think I went as hard as I could a few trainings beforehand and couldn’t get the airspeed that I just got reasonably easily in a game… they mentioned 140 (kph).”

His return to full-throttle pace comes after he underwent significant lower-back surgery in October last year, a procedure increasingly used by fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and James Pattinson. The operation involved inserting titanium screws into his spine, a fix Green now believes has made him more resilient.