Melbourne — Australia all-rounder Cameron Green will not bowl for the rest of the second Test against the Proteas in Melbourne and has been ruled out of the third and final match in Sydney to recover from a broken finger, the team said on Wednesday.
Green was struck in the right index finger by an Anrich Nortje ball and retired hurt late on day two at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
"You try to not show the pain straightaway," Green told cricket.com.au. "I marked my guard again and walked a couple of steps, and I was like 'I reckon my finger is out of place here'.
"I checked on it – it looked a little bit inverted is the only way I can explain it. It already had a big cut in it, then I got the bad news after the scan."
Green, who was picked up for $2.12million in the recent IPL auctions by the Mumbai Indians, took a career-best five-wicket haul in the first innings at the MCG on day one.
He returned on Wednesday to bat, contributing an unbeaten 51 with a broken finger as he became the first Australian in four years to notch a fifty and a five-for in the same Test.
After finishing the Melbourne Test, Green will have a period of rest ahead of the tour of India in early February, the team said.
"I'm going to do as much as I can to get it right and try to go to India," said the 23-year-old.
"A lot of people talk about the tour to India, how tough it is mentally and physically. It's going to be a massive tour for us. We're as best prepared as we're ever going to be, so (I’m) looking forward to it."
Australia lead the series 1-0 after winning the opener in Brisbane by six wickets.
Reuters