All-rounder Cameron Green has been elevated to his first full contract following his fine performance against India in the four-match Test series last summer, as Cricket Australia (CA) on Friday announced the list of 17 players to be offered national contracts for the 2021-22 season.
Joe Burns, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh, and Marcus Stoinis — who were upgraded during the 2020-21 season — did not retain the national contracts but will be ‘afforded every opportunity to press for selection in Australian squads.
CA national selector Trevor Hohns said, “His (Green’s) 84 in the second innings against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) demonstrated excellent technique and resolve and we are confident his bowling will be impactful at the international level. His domestic form was also outstanding, and we expect he will only get better with more international exposure.”
Green played all four Tests against India and led all-comers in the Marsh Sheffield Shield with 922 runs at 76.83, including three centuries.
“Cameron is a player we believe will play an important role for Australian cricket after his impressive breakout summer,” said Hohns.
Hohns said that while the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was “deservedly” won by India, the Aussie players can be proud of their efforts across all formats, which included a home ODI series win over India and an away win over England, the reigning world champions.
“This is reflected in the ICC (International Cricket Council) rankings. Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and David Warner are all ranked among the top-10 Test batsmen, while Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc are rated in the top-10 Test bowlers,” said Hohns
“Add to this the white-ball player rankings — Aaron Finch (ODI and T20I) and Glenn Maxwell (T20I) among the batsmen and Ashton Agar (T20I) and Adam Zampa (T20I) among the bowlers are all in the top 10 globally — and the strength of this contract list is evident,” he added.
List of contracted players: Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner and Adam Zampa.
