From Toronto to Birmingham in 18 hours
Chris Green is no stranger to travelling.
At the tender age of 25, the Australian off-spinning all-rounder is just the Indian Premier League shy of calling house at the T20 domestic bingo.
“It’s a great county to be a part of, awesome city and I know my family in the UK are keen to come and watch some games.
Chris Green
The term journeyman therefore might spring to mind but that isn’t kind to any cricketer.
For Green however, it’s a way of life.
“Travelling is something I love doing,” Green said.
“Any time which I get off, usually five weeks a year, I travel rather than sit at home.
“It’s nice going and seeing different countries and experiencing different cultures.”
Born in Durban to a South African father and English mother, he learnt his cricketing trade in Sydney and dreams of starring for Australia.
New South Wales Blues and then Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash were first with Green venturing far and wide since.
Lahore Qalandars were next in the Pakistan Super League in 2017, whilst a move to the Multan Sultans happened this year.
A stint in 2018 saw him join the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League and he’ll be returning later this summer.
Incredibly, the inaugural T10 trophy in the UAE in 2018 was next.
Playing for the Northern Warriors, who topped the group, Green removed both openers in the final to secure victory over the Pakhtoons.
And when the Australian winters became too cold, time was spent in England, more recently a spell with Surrey’s Second XI.
But as of Thursday around 1am GMT, Green was battling it out on a Canadian cricket pitch.
Fast forward 18 hours and he was at Edgbaston making his Vitality Blast debut, replacing Ashton Agar who had suffered a fractured foot in training.
“I was playing a third v fourth knockout game last night in Canada,” Green laughed.
“We finished at 8.30pm, I raced back to the hotel to try and get a 11.55pm flight to land here at 1pm and then raced up here for a game of cricket.
“It was the first time, but I’ve played a lot of cricket in England previous to this.
“It’s a tournament that’s highly regarded amongst all the players around the world.
“There’s two overseas players so there’s obviously a key role for me to play with bat and ball.
“It’s a great county to be a part of, awesome city and I know my family in the UK are keen to come and watch some games.
“This isn’t too dissimilar to Australia, but you get to meet new people, friends and obviously learn things in different conditions.
“I’m excited to step it up with this team for the remaining group games.”
Like his previous match in Branston, Ontario, just north of Toronto, Green was on the wrong side of a D/L defeat.
Led by Heinrich Klaasen’s 106 from 49 balls, the Toronto Nationals smacked 238/5.
Set 200 from 17.1 overs, the Winnipeg Hawks secured victory off the final ball, reaching 201/5 with JP Duminy top scoring on 85.
Plenty of disappointment in Great White North as there was in Birmingham against the Outlaws.
“I think there are a lot of positives with the ball and it’s a big learning curve on what will be a similar wicket on Sunday against Lancs,” Green stated when assessing the 22-run defeat.
“I thought their spinners bowled really well and were able to restrict us.
“I think par was around 140/150 and that would have been a defendable total if there was a full game.
“Unfortunately we didn’t get there and then the rain came.
“I was really excited, but batting first probably didn’t help me,” when asked about his own performance.
“Sitting down I started to get a bit slow, but it was nice to get out there and be amongst a new team.
“Hopefully the weather stays away on Sunday and we can get a full 40 overs in the game as we’re in a good place.”
