Sydney Thunder’s off-spinner Chris Green had started the year 2020 on a horrible note, even before the pandemic had hit the world. He was reported for illegal action by umpires Nathan Johnstone, Mike Graham-Smith and third umpire Paul Wilson on January 2 after Thunder’s game against Melbourne Stars.
A week later, he was banned from bowling for three months after the testing found his arm extending beyond the limit of 15 degrees, but his return to competitive cricket got delayed to the pandemic that wreaked havoc across the world.
The start of the year 2021 will mark the completion of one year of him begging reported for the first time, and ironically it was in the game against the Melbourne Stars that Green claimed his best bowling performance in the Big Bash League. In the 19th match of the ongoing edition of the BBL, Green registered his best bowling spell where he took four big wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Andre Fletcher, Ben Dunk and Nic Maddinson.
Now, after making a successful return to cricket, Green is looking back at the time of his suspension and the subsequent period of lockdown that delayed his return as a blessing in disguise. He believes the pandemic provided him extra time to go back to the basics and change the mechanics of his action to come back even stronger.
"I was one of the few that probably took COVID as a blessing. I had a six-month training block pretty much instead of three months to train hard and make the necessary changes. So it did take a lot of time. But I had the time to groove it and had the support to groove it,” Green told Australian Associated Press (AAP).
Green’s assertion of the Covid-19 hel[ping him regain focus and work with changed action has borne fruit as the off-spinner has scalped 19 wickets in T20 cricket at an average of 20.50 runs per wicket.
Green’s stock ball—off-spinner, and as well as faster deliveries under the scanner and Green has worked hard to eradicate the flaws. He has changed the momentum in the crease and with the effort of putting his body in a better shape, he believes his control of bowling those deliveries have actually got better.
The changes I made meant that my body is working together, rather than fighting against it. I've ensured that that's happening now and when it's all working together it gives me more opportunity to have control over the ball and execute. It has helped me incorporate new deliveries that I wasn't physically capable of doing before,” Green said.
Green is pragmatic about the limited prospect of him becoming an out and out spinner of the ball in the Australian condition, but he also relishes the challenges when he has to be depended on the spin on the ball to bring results.
“I've now just got a better shape on the ball and particularly in spinning conditions. In Australia, I'm not really going to spin the ball much but overseas when conditions do help I am spinning the ball and feeling good,” Green added.
Green has taken 10 wickets in the five matches his team the Sydney Thunder have played in the ongoing edition of BBL, and he will be looking forward to helping his side maintain its standing on the points table where they are currently at the number two position.
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