County Championship to play key role in preparing Australia’s Test candidates for World Test Championship

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County Championship to play key role in preparing Australia’s Test candidates for World Test Championship

England’s own domestic system will be a major factor in preparing Australia for next year’s Ashes.

A flood of *********** players vying for a spot in their defence of the famous trophy will head to the United Kingdom this winter to play red-ball cricket.

Recovering West *********** allrounder Cam Green is set to headline a list that already includes Beau Webster and Marnus Labuschagne. Australia’s hierarchy would also like Sam Konstas to join them.

Green is on the cusp of signing with cash-strapped second division team Gloucestershire in a move that will supercharge his bid to play in June’s World Test Championship final against South Africa.

The 25-year-old is eyeing a return one of WA’s final two Sheffield Shield matches of the regular season in Perth next month, but to genuinely contend for a spot as a specialist batter in Australia’s team, he will need to have a sustained run of first-class cricket.

Camera IconCam Green is poised to play county cricket this winter. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images

“Cameron Green, he’s going to play some county cricket, I think it’s been put to press that he’s looking at Gloucestershire,” *********** coach Andrew McDonald said after the second Test in Galle.

Green batted at No.4 in a series against New Zealand early last year where he scored 238 runs across two matches, but Steve Smith had shifted to the top of the order to accommodate that move and he has since returned to blistering form in the middle-order.

The Aussie raid on county cricket has been a divisive point in English cricket. Nathan Lyon’s stint at Lancashire last season was panned in the *** because it meant Tom Hartley — who had played Tests for England against India — was pushed out of their side.

England coach Brendon McCullum was among the most vocal detractors of that move.

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Australia has not welcomed internationals into its own domestic red-ball competition since the turn of the century and shut down a push for young English players to take part after their Ashes disaster in 2022.

But Australians going the other way have had great success for Australia. West Aussies Michael Hussey, Adam Voges and Chris Rogers are among the Test batters that dominated the County Championship.

Green could be set to play under the captaincy of WA teammate Cam Bancroft at Taunton. The opener is considered a chance to lead the side this season.

Beau Webster has switched from Gloucestershire to Warwickshire for this season, Tasmanian teammate Caleb Jewell will play all formats For Derbyshire, Perth Scorchers captain Ashton Turner and Chris Green will spend time at Lancashire, Peter Handscomb will play for Leicestershire and Will Sutherland is listed at Yorkshire.

Bowlers Wes Agar, Fergus O’Neill and Gurinder Sandhu are also heading over.

Marnus Labuschagne — who is under fire after another poor series against Sri Lanka — has not signed with Glamorgan for this season, but has a long-standing relationship with the Welsh county.

After his thrill-a-minute debut in Melbourne and the series-winning clash with India in Sydney days later, Konstas was left out of Australia’s side for the two Tests with Sri Lanka as part of a horses-for-courses approach where Travis Head was elevated to open the batting.

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He was sent home to play for New South Wales against Queensland at the Gabba, where he made three off 33 ****** in the first innings and 22 in the second.

McDonald has put a call out to English clubs, urging someone to pick up the 19-year-old sensation.

“I’d love to see him play county cricket,” he said.

“What involvement we have in that is very minimal… the only thing we can do is endorse that he’s a very good player, and hopefully a county picks him up.

“It will be a great learning curve if he could get into those conditions.”

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