Green targets bowling return ahead of The Ashes

Cameron Green has confirmed that the Sheffield Shield will likely be his platform for building up his bowling rather than the upcoming ODI or T20I series against India, as he aims to be in contention to bowl in the Ashes tour against England at home later in the year.

The all-rounder, who underwent back surgery in October last year, has not bowled in international cricket since then and has been playing as a specialist batter in both Tests and limited-overs formats since his return.

Speaking to the media on Thursday ahead of the second ODI against South Africa, he revealed the likely plan for his return to bowling and managing workload.

"In the past, it worked really well when I focused on Shield cricket,” Green told reporters in Mackay.

"So I think that potentially might be the way to go, especially with working my way back with bowling. Potentially get a few more overs, over a few more days might be the best way to go about it."

While the exact match for his bowling return remains unclear, the 26-year-old added that the progress so far has been promising.

"I'm not quite certain on what match [I'll return to bowling], but I'm feeling really good, in a really good spot. It's exciting being back bowling at a reasonable intensity.

"It's been a long road back."

If fit and firing, Green would prove to be a huge asset in Australia's bid to retain the urn against England in the ICC World Test Championship contest, evident from his 18 wickets in eight matches against England at an average of 24.44, compared to a career average of 35.31.

Western Australia’s domestic schedule could play a key role, with three Sheffield Shield games - against New South Wales (October 4), Tasmania (October 15), and South Australia (October 28) - lined up before the Ashes opener on November 21 in Perth.

Australia's Cameron Green bowls during a net session ahead of the WTC25 Final. // Getty Images

Green has featured as Australia’s No. 3 in their last four Tests, including the World Test Championship final loss and the Caribbean tour, but admitted uncertainty over whether he will retain that spot when the Ashes begin.

"You never know. I think there's certainly a lot of guys that can fill that role. I'm really proud that I was able to do a role up there. But yeah, wait and see."

Reflecting on his stint in the Caribbean, Green suggested that the surfaces offered little for batters and were not indicative of what lies ahead in Australia.

The all-rounder was the third highest run getter of the series with his 184 runs across six innings coming on tricky pitches that favoured the bowlers.

"It was such tough wickets, especially for the batters, so to try and get out the series unscathed I think was a good effort.

"There wasn't much to take away from that. I think it was just trying to survive, really, and find a way to score some runs. Yeah, I don't think we'll be playing on many wickets quite like that."

Turning attention to the ongoing ODI series, where Keshav Maharaj spun through Australia’s batting line-up in Cairns, Green stressed the importance of moving on quickly from the defeat.

The home side suffered a big 98-run loss at the hands of the Proteas in the ODI series opener, with Maharaj sealing a five-for to help the visitors defend 296.

"Obviously Maharaj bowled beautifully, a couple of their batters batted really well.

"We didn't want to debrief it too much. I think we know we're a good team. We've had a lot of success the last few months. So to deep dive into it is probably not the right way to go about it.

“There's certainly things we need to improve on. I think we just had a reasonable off day, but there's plenty of one-day cricket coming up, so hopefully we can turn that around."

With the Proteas leading the series 1-0, Australia will look to level the series in Mackay on Friday before the third and final ODI in Mackay on Sunday.