Blast Preview: Bears v Vikings
The Bears season is almost at a close.
Yorkshire Vikings arrive on Friday as Edgbaston plays host to the final Vitality Blast fixture of the season.
Playing at Edgbaston has been something that’s been an amazing thing to be a part of.
Chris Green
It’s been a frustrating campaign for both sides, especially after a captivating tie in early August at Emerald Headingley.
Chris Green wasn’t available for that fixture, arriving two games later against Notts Outlaws, as the Bears played without an overseas.
The off-spinning all-rounder replaced fellow Australian Ashton Agar after he fractured his ankle in training.
“It’s been short but very sweet,” said Green.
“We were rain-affected in some of the early games, but I’ve really enjoyed my time.
“Playing at Edgbaston has been something that’s been an amazing thing to be a part of.
“The atmosphere at the Worcestershire game was awesome and I’m excited for the last game of the season on Friday night.
“I think we’re coming off a really good win, there have been some fresh faces in the squad and it’s been exciting to be a part of their couple of games.
“We’ve been playing some good cricket in parts and hopefully we can finish the tournament on a high.”
Green played in the final seven games, taking four wickets whilst opening the bowling in the powerplay.
At 25 years old, Green was part of a young core who are learning and growing together and he believes these experiences will help.
“I think there’s a really exciting opportunity for this group,” added the Sydney Thunder star.
“We spoke after our close loss to Northants and said there are two T20 games and three County Championship games remaining so there’s an opportunity for this group to finish strongly.
“For me, it’s about finishing on a high and being a part of this young group has been exciting for me and I know it’s exciting for the club moving forward.”
Following Friday’s fixture, Green’s stay in Birmingham is short.
The next stop is the Caribbean Premier League, where he’ll play for the Guyana Amazon Warriors for a second time
“It’s not as quick as this one,” Green laughs when referring to his arrival where he played seven hours after arriving from the Global T20 Canada.
“I fly out Saturday morning, straight after the game.
“I think I’m on a midday flight and then four days later I play in the lovely Guyana.
“There are three games in four days there and then I start island-hopping around the Caribbean which will be a lot of fun.”
The jet-set lifestyle is the norm for Green, who has never played first-class cricket.
With this being his first experience of the Vitality Blast, he needs just the Indian Premier League to complete the set.
And when asked whether he’d return to the Bears the answer was swift.
“I would absolutely love to come back,” Green concluded with a grin.
“As I’ve said, I’ve really enjoyed it.
“It’s a great place to play cricket, awesome people to play with, it’s a great competition and having English family here it’s been special to play in front of them for a couple of games – I know they’ve enjoyed travelling up.
“I’ve enjoyed seeing different parts of the country.
“I’ve been to the country in the past, but seeing the sights up north is really cool and an experience I’ll never forget.”
