'Tempo of Green's innings stood out for me', says Cummins

WELLINGTON: Australia captain Pat Cummins said the tempo of all-rounder Cameron Green’s match-winning 174 in the first Test against New Zealand under difficult conditions in Wellington stood out for him and it could become a template for him as a number four batter in the longer format.

Green rescued Australia from 89/4 with a counterattacking 174 off 275 balls, also his highest score in the format, while sharing a 116-run stand for the last wicket. He hit 23 fours and five sixes as the visitors got their first innings total of 383, which was crucial in setting up the base for a 172-run win to go 1-0 up in the two-match Test series.

"I reckon that's as sharp as I've seen him. He put pressure back on the opposition, he was using his feet to upset the bowlers' lengths on a really tough day one wicket. I thought it was incredibly impressive and it's given him a good blueprint of how to play going forward.

"Batting four is a little bit different, but the tempo of the innings was what stood out to me. We know he can spend time and build up his innings that way, but this was a slightly different way he went about it. He scored runs in Sri Lanka on a really tough spinning wicket, a hundred in India and a hundred here, he can do it in all conditions.

"So, he should be really confident that if he's ever in a rut – which I'm sure every batter goes through, and he might one day – he can always look back at this innings and get him back where he needs to be. It's a good template," said Cummins to reporters after the match ended.

He also acknowledged Green was smart in his gameplan while sharing that crucial last-wicket stand with Hazlewood in Australia’s first innings. "I thought he had really clear game plans – used his feet, put pressure on the bowlers but picked his balls, left well and ducked when he needed to.

"I thought he played it beautifully, sucked up the pressure for four balls then across to Joshy for the last couple. It was a really smart way he went about it, and the scoreboard didn't stop either.

"When anyone steps into Test cricket you expect them to be the finished product, but it's just not true. The jump from state cricket to here is big, but especially when you're young you're learning your craft in front of big crowds, cameras, a lot of scrutiny.

"It's not easy. As best as we can try and fast track guys when they come in here and set them up, I think he's shown himself to be a pretty quick learner in whatever he's done over the years. But you're still learning when you step up here, and he's early 20s."