Cameron Green reveals he's suffering from chronic kidney disease: 'They're about 60 percent at the moment'

Australia's star all-rounder, Cameron Green, disclosed on Thursday that he has been battling chronic kidney disease since birth. Green revealed that the condition was identified during his mother Bee Tracey's 19-week pregnancy scan. Remarkably, Green's father, Gary, who played a significant role in shaping his cricket career, shared that there were initial concerns about whether Cameron would survive beyond the age of 12.

Green has been a part of Australia's squads across all formats since last year, making his T20I debut in 2022. He was also a member of the ODI World Cup-winning squad last month in India. He is currently with the Australian Test team in the series against Pakistan, but remains on the bench for the opening match in Perth.

Also read: Baba Indrajith braves freak lip injury, bats with taped mouth in Vijay Hazare semi-final: ‘Deep cut, required stitches’

"My parents got told when I was born that I had chronic kidney disease," Green told Channel 7. "Basically, there's no symptoms, it was just picked up through ultrasounds.

“Chronic kidney disease is basically a progressive disease of your kidney's health function. Unfortunately, mine doesn't filter the blood as well as other kidneys. They're at about 60% at the moment which is stage two.”

Green said he has effectively handled his chronic kidney disease throughout his career, with only one notable incident during an ODI against New Zealand in Cairns last year causing concern. The all-rounder endured severe cramping while batting in the game, as he scored an unbeaten 89 after bowling five overs in Australia's win. Green mentioned that he believed the cramping resulted from insufficient intake of liquid supplements, although the underlying cause was primarily linked to his kidney issues.

"I think it was pretty well documented that I had a pretty long day of bowling and a pretty long bat as well, and then had a cramping episode," Green said. "It took me a long time to realise that it was probably my kidney function that was affecting my cramping.

“I always thought I didn't drink enough, didn't eat enough, didn't look after myself during the game as well as I could have, but I think over time I realised that I was doing absolutely everything right, but I was still cramping, unfortunately.”

Barring the episode against New Zealand, Green has had a reasonably impressive career so far, with stints in the Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League as well. Green represented the Mumbai Indians in his first season in IPL, and was traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the 2024 edition.

"I consider myself very lucky that I'm not as affected physically by chronic kidney disease as other people who are affected by the same thing.

"With chronic kidney disease there's five stages, with stage one being the least severe, and stage five being transplant or dialysis. Fortunately, I'm stage two, but if you don't look after them enough, it goes back down.

“Kidneys can't get better. It's irreversible. So anything you can do to slow the progression, you basically try and do,” stated Green.