Australia allrounder Cameron Green suffered a painful blow to his right thumb during the second Ashes Test at the Gabba, causing a brief halt in play. The incident occurred in the 49th over, with Australia at 247/3, trailing England by 87 runs.
Green, who was batting confidently on 28, was struck by a rising short-of-length delivery from Gus Atkinson. The ball climbed sharply, rapping Green flush on the thumb of his bottom hand. He immediately removed his glove, signalling discomfort, with visible bleeding around the thumbnail.
The physio rushed onto the field as Green received treatment. Thankfully for Australia, the blow did not lead to immediate retirement; after a short break, Green resumed batting, though he appeared cautious and in visible discomfort.
Former cricketer and commentator SKD observed that Green had already been struggling with visibility under the lights:
“Interesting to see Green glancing up at the lights and back down before the ball — trying to adjust his eyes to the visibility challenges of batting under lights,” SKD noted.
At the time of the injury, Green and Steven Smith (36)* had built a solid 51-run stand, attempting to stabilize Australia’s innings in the final session of Day 2.
Australia will now be hoping the injury does not impact Green’s availability later in the Test, given his dual role as a key middle-order batter and frontline bowler.
