Cameron Green says he has no issues with being in and out of Australia's World Cup side on form, but will not seek rest after the tournament as he confirmed he will play Sheffield Shield cricket for Western Australia and in the Prime Minister's XI against Pakistan as he aims to find some red-ball form ahead of the home Test summer.
Green made a vital 47 in Australia's win over England in Ahmedabad on Saturday having been called into the team after Mitchell Marsh travelled home due to the death of his grandfather while Glenn Maxwell was ruled out with concussion.
It was just the third game Green has played in the World Cup so far. He was expected to be an integral part of Australia's best XI but a dip in form leading up to the tournament saw him dropped after the opening match against India. He was recalled against Netherlands to replace the injured Marcus Stoinis but lost his place again with the return of Travis Head.
With Marsh returning to India on Sunday and Maxwell set to be clear of his eight-day concussion protocol on Tuesday, Green fully expects to be running the drinks again when Australia face Afghanistan in Mumbai.
"I've had no issues," Green said after the win over England. "I think it's always been through the right selection calls. I absolutely love every single time I play for Australia but we want to put the best team out there on the field and unfortunately, I'm missing out but we're obviously playing some great cricket."
Green's omission from the ODI side followed his omission from the Test XI during the Ashes when Marsh pinched his spot after a stunning performance at Headingley when Green was absent due to a hamstring issue.
Green's decline in form across the year has been startling but it has been understandable given the extraordinary travel demands he has experienced. By the end of the World Cup, he will have spent nearly six full months in India, more than any other Australian player, on top of two months in England.
He was in India non-stop from February 1 until May 27 due to Australia's Test and ODI tours and the IPL. He then only had two nights at home in Perth before heading to England for the World Test Championship final and the Ashes. He then travelled to South Africa at the start of September and was back in India again on September 18 and will not leave until Australia's tournament ends in mid-November.
He has been rested from Australia's five-match T20I series against India that begins just four days after the World Cup final on November 19. But he confirmed he would not be resting at home in Perth.
He is instead intending to play in WA's Shield match against Queensland at the Gabba, beginning on November 28. Green also intends to travel to Canberra shortly after that match to play in the four-day game against the touring Pakistan side for the Prime Minister's XI from December 6 to 9, in a bid to put himself in the selection frame for the first Test in Perth starting on December 14.
Green said there has been no discussion with the selectors about his Test place as yet but he was adamant he did not want to rest.
"I'm planning on playing the Shield game up in Brisbane and then we've got a PM's XI game … so not too much rest to be fair," Green said. "Just keep grinding and keep playing cricket."
Despite the obvious concerns over his workload and having spent nearly nine months overseas this year alone, Green was adamant he wanted to continue playing as much as he could to continue to improve.
"I think it's very tough. You want to play as much as you can for Australia and unfortunately, the schedule this year is pretty jam-packed," Green said. "But I'm absolutely loving playing for my country and I think there's a bit of a gap maybe next year. It's been a long 18 months.
"Maybe you get a bit complacent when you're in the team all the time. You've got to keep reminding yourself you're playing for Australia, and you've got to perform all the time. Whenever you miss out, you always want to improve and that's what we love doing. So hopefully there's a few improvements on the way."
Even if he is not in the first-choice XI, Green is likely to remain with the Australian team throughout the summer for the five home Tests against Pakistan and West Indies as well as three ODIs and three T20Is against West Indies in February. At the end of February Australia head to New Zealand for three T20Is and two Tests just prior to the start of the IPL where he will return for his second season with Mumbai Indians.
The IPL runs straight into the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and United States in June before a break may finally come in July of 2024. But Green has no regrets about adding the IPL to his gruelling schedule.
"One of the greatest things that happened to me was being part of the IPL and the confidence I gained from that was pretty huge," Green said. "I definitely felt it going into the Ashes series, how I felt around the group and about my cricket as well.
"It's been a great year so far. It's been long, challenging. But when I look at where I was at the start of the year to now, I've definitely grown as a cricketer and as a person."