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He has already has a foot-hold in the longest format, but now towering West Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is stamping himself in another.
The seamer took a maiden five-wicket haul in the first of three white-ball games against Zimbabwe, starring in just his eighth One Day International as Australia restricted the visitors to just 200.
His 5-33 from nine overs gave the hosts a middle overs spark after openers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood pushed through long early spells.
Green was picked as part of an all-rounder heavy side, playing alongside Glenn Maxwell and WA teammates Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis.
It was a break-through spell for the 23-year-old, who had taken a combined 1-169 in the format before the series opener at Riverway Stadium in Townsville.
The 23-year-old’s first wicket was the dangerous Sikander Raza, whose vulnerability against the quicks was exposed by the depth of Australia’s attack, despite Zimbabwe’s efforts to hide him at number five.
From there it was a clean-up job on the visitor’s middle-order, with Green dismissing skipper Regis Chakabva, the explosive Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe and Brad Evans in a matter of overs.
His quest for a six-wicket haul, which would have been the first in an ODI by an Australian since Josh Hazlewood in the 2017 Champions Trophy, was quashed by Mitchell Starc, who had no trouble finding the stumps of helpless jack Victor Nyauchi.
It comes less than 24 hours after the Perth-born emerging star was revealed as the Perth Scorchers’ new signing and the latest in a string of international players secured for the Big Bash League.
The game is the first of six as part of a Top End Tour in Far North Queensland, with world number one New Zealand to face Australia in Cairns early next month.
Earlier, captain Aaron Finch revealed a shake-up of Australia’s batting line-up, with Marsh slid from the crucial number three position down to six, replaced by Steve Smith, while keeper-Alex Carey has been promoted to three. Green will bat at eight.
