Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
David Warner has advised Cameron Green to seriously consider snubbing the IPL’s millions next year as the youngster prepares for a debut at a home ground he barely knows.
Even more bizarre than the fact Green is already 14 Tests into a stellar career and hasn’t played a home Test in Perth due to Covid, is his admission he had to ask Queenslander Marnus Labuschagne for pitch advice because he’s only ever played one first-class match at Optus Stadium in his life.
The eyes of Australian cricket are on the 23-year-old all-round prodigy as Wednesday marks the beginning of an epic 12 month journey where he is poised to shoehorn a maiden trip to the Indian Premier League into a bursting international schedule which threatens to push his prized body to the limit.
Green insists Australian selectors are supportive of his decision to enter into his first IPL auction where he is likely to become the centre of a multi-million dollar bidding frenzy.
But the league’s greatest Australian veteran Warner has offered a sobering warning of the perils that could lay ahead in a year where the IPL is bookended by four Tests in India, an Ashes and a 50-over World Cup.
“From an experience point of view it‘s (the IPL) great. From a playing point of view, he’s got four Test matches and a few t20s or one-dayers after it. Nineteen weeks straight in India,” said Warner.
“Being your first trip as well, can be quite challenging from the heat perspective. The playing, the recovery. I’ve been through it. I‘ve done the Test series and the IPL straight before. It is tough.
“Then on the back of that you‘ve got five Test matches in England.
“Then I think you‘ve got 20 days off before you go to Africa and then go to a World Cup.
“Glenn Maxwell did it a couple of years ago. He played the whole year and then was cooked come the (home) season.
“From a youngster‘s point of view it’s totally up to him. “It‘s his decision he has to make.
“For the longevity of him and his career, it‘s a big call for him as a youngster.
“Whatever decision he goes with we‘ll respect it as players. But ultimately it’s down to him and CA, I don’t know what those conversations are.”
Green battled stress fractures for years as a youngster and the careers of former greats like Shane Watson show there can never be any guarantees for Test match all-rounders, who are the game’s rarest and most valuable commodities, but also most susceptible to workload issues and injury. On that level, Green doesn’t want to miss his moment to cash in when IPL interest in him is peaking, and he is confident his body has fortified to the point where he can handle a full year on the road which could include virtually six months in India. “I‘ve had really good chats with those guys (coach Andrew McDonald and National Selector, George Bailey) and they are really open to me going (to the IPL),” said Green.
“It‘s going to be a really tough year. I don’t think anyone is disagreeing with that … You might get pushed a little bit with your body. (But) I back in that I have good resources and that around me to get through that.
“You never know what is going to happen in the future so you have to stay present in what is happening at the moment. I am really thankful there is a bit of interest but you have no control on what happens. I just have to go day by day.”
