Australia all-rounder Cameron Green will have surgery for a stress fracture in his lumbar spine, ruling him out of the five-Test home series against India, a team spokesperson said on Monday.
The injury is a major blow to Australia’s hopes of beating the South Asian team which has won the last four Test series between them.
“Recovery time is anticipated to be around six months. The decision to proceed to surgery is with Cameron’s long-term future as an all-rounder in mind,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The fast bowling Green was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back during the ODI series in England, fanning speculation about his availability for the India Tests.
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Cricket Australia said on Friday, Green was considering whether to have surgery with New Zealand specialists who have previously helped fast bowlers.
The alternative was to rehabilitate without surgery and have Green play only as a batter in the India series.
Green’s condition was more complex, though, making surgery preferable, the team spokesperson said.
“Whilst spine stress fractures are not unusual in pace bowlers, Cam has a unique defect in an adjacent area to the fracture that is believed to be contributing to the injury,” said the spokesperson.
“After thorough consultation it was determined Cameron would benefit from the surgery to stabilise the defect and reduce the risk of future recurrence.”
Green’s absence will mean a shake-up for Australia’s batting order, with the highly rated 25-year-old having batted at number four in his last four Tests.
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