Green eyes bowling return as selectors watch on

Star WA allrounder Cameron Green is a chance to return to bowling duties within the next month - and Australia's Test selectors will be keeping a close eye.

Green is considered one of the brightest rising stars in world cricket, and there were calls for him to be parachuted into the Australian Test team last summer.

Those plans were put on hold when Green succumbed to stress fractures in his back for the second time in two years.

But the 21-year-old's ability to star as a batter-only despite the injury last season continued to whet the appetite of selectors.

Green will continue to play as a batter only during the early rounds of the Sheffield Shield season, which starts for WA against South Australia in Adelaide on Saturday.

WA coach Adam Voges hopes Green will return to bowling duties while in the Adelaide hub, which will host the first four rounds of Shield action.

"There's a couple of things that he needs to tick off first," Voges said of Green, who took 5-24 against Tasmania in his Shield debut as a 17-year-old.

"(One of them is) the technical work that he's tried to make during the off-season with our bowling coach Matt Mason - just to get him in a safer position at his ball release point.

"We need to see him hold that more consistently than what he's doing at the moment, particularly in a competitive environment."

Green scored 699 runs at an average of 63.54 last Shield season.

His form was so hot that Australian great Ricky Ponting wanted Green to receive a Test call-up as a batter-only last summer.

But it seems the Test selectors want to see Green back bowling before considering him for a baggy green cap.

"The feedback we've got from the national selectors is they want to see Cameron being able to bowl and perform as an allrounder," Voges said.

"Having said that, if he scores three or four hundreds early in the Shield season I'm sure his batting would certainly be right up there (in the selection mix).

"He would have bowled six overs at training yesterday, albeit at probably three-quarter pace.

"He's still building. There's been a couple of little niggles along the way with his body."

WA will be without injured skipper Mitch Marsh (ankle) for their Shield opener, as well as Marcus Stoinis and Josh Philippe (IPL duties).

Pace duo Jhye Richardson (shoulder) and Jason Behrendorff (back) are also missing while they recover from injury.

Last season's leading wicket taker Cameron Gannon, who left Queensland to take up a three-year deal with WA, will make his Warriors debut.