Cameron Green’s preparation for an all but certain return to Australia’s top order in the World Test Championship final could hardly be going better.
The 25-year-old scored an excellent unbeaten 118 for Gloucestershire on Sunday, his third hundred in five matches for the Division Two County outfit.
Green looked in excellent nick in what will be his final competitive outing before taking on South Africa at Lords next month as he smashed three sixes and eight fours in his 185-ball stay at the crease against Northamptonshire.
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Batting at number six after sliding one spot down the order courtesy of sending out nightwatchman Matt Taylor (36) late on day two, Green walked to the middle at the tricky position of 4-152 when West Australian teammate and Gloucestershire captain Cameron Bancroft fell for 60 after the hosts piled on 469.
Green lifted his side to 8-379 declared however, with Bancroft making the aggressive call to close his team’s innings while still 90 runs to push for a chance at an unlikely victory.
The decision did rob Green to dine out further on the Northamptonshire attack, which is spearheaded by Australian quicks Liam Guthrie (0-89)and Harry Conway (2-67).
Conway, who was culled from South Australia’s contract list last week but dismissed Marnus Labuschagne in his previous outing, had two big lbw shouts turned down against Green as he found plenty of sideways movement after a rain delay, but Green pushed through the testing period to continue his stellar campaign.
His West Australian teammate Guthrie felt the force of Green’s power once he got going as he launched the left-armer over the old bowls pavilion at Northamptonshire to avoid the follow-on.
He scored a century against Kent in his first first-class match since back surgery ruled him out of last Australian summer, and tormented the same side with another hundred and an unbeaten 67 in a successful run chase a week ago.
In his eight innings for Gloucestershire, he has chalked up 442 runs at an average of 73.67 with the chance to boost those numbers further in a final day run chase with Northamptonshire sitting at 4-158, a lead of 248, at stumps on day three.
Once again, things were not so positive for Labuschagne.
Tipped to opening the batting against the Proteas at Lords, Labuschagne again occupied his usual number three spot for Glamorgan but fell for 23 in their first innings of 383 against Middlesex in Cardiff.
For the third time in his many innings this county season, Labuschagne was caught in the slip cordon edging a ball around off stump, this time to second slip off the bowling of medium pacer Ryan Higgins, who snared five wickets for the visitors.
Labuschagne then missed out on the chance to get a second hit as Glamorgan chased just eight runs without losing wickets to win a third successive match inside three days.
They knocked over Middlesex for 155 in their first innings, and asked them to follow on, and Australian left arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann dominated with six second innings wickets at Middlesex were all out for 235.
The breakout star of Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka this year made a one-off appearance for the Welsh side and finished with career-best figures of 6-53 as part of a seven-wicket haul for the match.
The visitors were cruising at 0-98 in their second innings before Kuhnemann went on a tear, ripping out five of Middlesex’s top seven batters.
The Queenslander turned Tasmanian is in Australia’s squad for the WTC final and the following three-Test tour of the West Indies, where he is set to renew his partnership with Lyon on the Caribbean’s slow, turning pitches.
Kuhnemann’s Tasmania teammate Caleb Jewell also registered a career-best in the current round of Division Two matches with a mammoth knock of 232 for Derbyshire as they made 5-587 declared in their first innings against Kent.
Opening the batting, Jewell plundered 21 fours and a six in his 361-ball, 516 minute stay at the crease in Derby.
The more than eight-and-a-half hour knock was Jewell’s first century of the season after scoring five fifties previously, and it propelled him to second on the run scoring charts in the division with 693 at 63 from 12 innings.
Top of the pile is Victoria’s Marcus Harris with 825 runs at 63.46, including three centuries, but in his second game since taking over the captaincy at Lancashire, the left-hander was unable to keep up his prolific ways.
Batting at number four, as he has done all season, Harris managed scores of 10 and 20 as Lancashire were defeated by league leaders Leicestershire by an innings and three runs at Grace Road.
Harris’ Victorian teammate Peter Handscomb is skippering the Foxes and scored only 9 in their middle order, but is enjoying a good season for the unbeaten side with 441 runs at 49.
In Division One, Australian all-rounder Beau Webster had a disappointing game with the bat, only managing scores of 2 and 5 for Warwickshire in their clash with Worcestershire.
The Tasmanian did snare 2-19, knocking over the tail, in Worcestershire’s first innings of 181 however, and he will have the chance to make more of an impact of the ball on the final as Worcestershire are 2-57 at stumps, chasing 327 to win.
Meanwhile, New South Wales batter Kurtis Patterson scored a half-century in his first appearance for Surrey.
The left-hander, who enjoyed a career resurgence with 743 Sheffield Shield runs at 57.15 last summer, made 51 batting at number three as Surrey replied to Essex’s first innings total of 219 with 279.
Patterson will almost certainly get another chance on the final day as Surrey are 0-32 at stumps on day three, needing another 386 runs for victory at The Oval, after Essex piled on 479 in their second innings despite four wickets to Australian turned Englishman Daniel Worrall.
South Australian quick Nathan McAndrew took three wickets for the match opening the bowling for Sussex as they defeated Hampshire by nine wickets at Southampton.
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