Cameron Green‘s Indian Premier League captain says Cricket Australia is blocking the competition’s richest player from bowling.
The 26-year-old Aussie all-rounder made his debut for Kolkata Knight Riders and scored 18 before his team lost by six wickets to the Mumbai Indians on Monday morning.
The Knight Riders posted 4-220 before the Indians produced an IPL-record chase to clinch victory.
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Questions were asked of Kolkata’s bowling following the shock loss, and captain Ajinkya Rahane was asked specifically why Green was not used.
“The question you need to ask to Cricket Australia,” Rahane said before the interviewer awkwardly responded, “oh, well OK, we’ll leave it at that”.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ Cameron Green plays a shot during the Indian Premier League. AP
Wide World of Sports has contacted Cricket Australia for comment.
The Knight Riders won a bidding war at the IPL auction late last year and secured Green with 252 million rupees ($4.17m AUD), which is a record for an international player in the Twenty20 competition.
Rahane clearly wants his superstar import to be able to bowl as soon as possible.
“I think when hopefully Green starts to bowl soon, the combination will be slightly different,” he said following the loss.
“At the moment, we have to see the balance and who can bowl well for us. Batting-wise, as I said, we batted really well, but finding that balance with the ball is really important.
“So, hopefully, Green starts to bowl soon, [and] then we can find out whether the combination will be OK.”
Cameron Green. Getty
Green has been on limited duties since having back surgery last year.
He didn’t bowl at all during the World Test Championship final against South Africa, or in any of the three Tests against the West Indies following that.
He was used sparingly during Australia’s Ashes campaign and bowled less than 62 overs in total across the five matches.
He bowled sporadically during Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign and wasn’t used by Western Australia in his sole Sheffield Shield match this year, earlier this month.
Green scored a much-needed century against NSW in that match, but made headlines with a bizarre stoush with a journalist at the SCG when probed about his lack of form in recent times.
Rahane and the Knight Riders may be asking why their $4m man is being held back by Cricket Australia in the world’s richest cricket league.