Cameron Green and Beau Webster insist they can play together when the former returns to bowling for the Ashes
Room for two: Allrounders target Ashes double trouble
Posted September 6, 2025
Cameron Green is confident he will be back bowling by the Ashes, and both he and Beau Webster insist there is room for two allrounders in the top six for Australia.
Green has not bowled in a match since returning as a specialist batter in June's World Test Championship final after an extended break following back surgery last October.
Webster has been a revelation in his seven Tests with both bat and ball. The 31-year-old's batting average of 34.63 and bowling average of 23.25 are worth bottling.
Both were key figures on difficult batting tracks in the 3-0 win in the West Indies, where Green started to hit his straps in his new role at No.3 in the final two Tests.
The duo are incumbents in the Test side but are yet to play together when both are available to bowl.
The battle for the top six spots for the first Ashes Test in Perth is intense. Usman Khawaja will open, and Steve Smith and Travis Head will line up at No.4 and No.5. The battle will continue for the other slots, but both Green and Webster have compelling claims.
Webster believes Australia would pick "the best six batters" and that he was confident that could include two allrounders.
"I think there is room for both of us. It can certainly work," he told AAP.
"At the end of the day we are both vying for an allrounder spot, and the way Cameron's career is going and how well he is hitting the ball it looks like he can bat anywhere in the top seven.
"I am hoping he starts really well and continues really well to become a long-term No.3 or No.4 for Australia.
"That opens up the door for me at No.6 if I am still in the best six batters in the country, and if I can bowl and catch that is only a bonus.
"Hopefully I can keep scoring runs and be really hard to displace from that No.6 spot.
"At the moment I am looking forward to the start of the Shield season, try and get some runs (for Tasmania) and hopefully line up in that first Test in Perth."
Green said his recent progress back to bowling had been diligent, with the aim of being right to bowl in the Ashes. He has had slight technical changes, but not a complete reinvention of his action.
"It will be a slow build-up to the Ashes through Shield cricket for WA, whether that be five overs (in the) first game or 10 overs the second game," he told AAP.
"A slow build-up is the way to go about it so it pays dividends later, but I am 100 per cent right now."
When Green is back bowling, it will add an extra dimension to both his own focus and the team dynamic.
Marnus Labuschagne will also be fighting hard for a No.3 recall.
"The exciting part is that there are a lot of guys fighting for a spot, which is always great for healthy competition," Green said.
"Beau has had an amazing start to his short career with three or four match-winning knocks for us already.
"I definitely feel like we both can be in the team. We are batters first and bowlers second, and both of us are happy if one is taking overs off the other. We are fine in that sense. We have got a great relationship as well. He is an absolute ripper."
Golden Knights Superstars Ready for Challenge
The Vegas Golden Knights made a huge move this offseason, acquiring superstar winger Mitch Marner. The always bold Golden Knights brought in another elite player in their perennial pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Marner now joins top center Jack Eichel as the new potent pairing in Vegas.
The challenge facing the Golden Knights’ superstars is a simple, yet daunting one. Establishing chemistry between Eichel and Marner is the first and most important task for the duo and their head coach, Bruce Cassidy. Each player is coming off career-high offensive campaigns and are in the prime of their careers, so it should be easy, right? Eichel believes it will great once they get things started.
"Yeah, it’ll be great,” he said. ”He’s a guy who can create so much by himself, and he can create so much from nothing, and there’s only so many guys in the world that can do that. That’s a really special talent that I think he has. He makes the players around him better. I think we’ve seen that since he’s come into the League, so he’s going to do the same in Vegas."
Marner’s Ready to Work
Marner shared a similar level of excitement about playing alongside Eichel. At Marner’s introductory press conference with the organization, he discussed how he’s looking forward to starting with Eichel and finding that chemistry as quickly as possible.
“(Eichel is) obviously an exceptional player, a guy that really moves well up and down the ice, both ends of the ice very responsible,” Marner said. “At the same time, he’s got a deadly shot with his vision and playmaking style as well. I’m very excited to start working with him and try to figure out the chemistry quickly and get that rolling.”
Coaching Challenge
While the Golden Knights dynamic duo are saying all of the right things, the ultimate decision on who plays where comes down to the head coach. Bruce Cassidy is one of the top bench bosses in the NHL, and his latest task is to figure out the best lineup combination. The challenge with Marner and Eichel is that both players thrive with the puck on their stick, presenting an obvious potential issue that could emerge.
The veteran head coach has an approach to deal with this. His goal is to establish pairs of players that fit well together, then build out the rest of the forward unit. If that leads to Eichel and Marner sticking together on the top line, then so be it.
“I think it’s pairs first, and then the threesome,” Cassidy explained. “That’s how I’ll look at it.”
It’s an interesting and important test facing the Golden Knights when training camp opens. Their top two forwards will be expected to play together at least partially, and it’s a challenge the superstars are eager to meet.
