Sydney Thunder’s off-spinner Chris Green has been banned by Cricket Australia for three months after his bowling action was found illegal. Green, who has been a regular for the Thunders in each of their first six matches this BBL season, was reported for a suspect action in their loss against Melbourne Stars last week. As a result, the off-spinner underwent a test in Brisbane on Sunday. The results indicated that the off-spinner was bowling with an illegal action and was suspended with immediate effect by the Australian board.
Green will now not be allowed to participate in any of the competitions run by the CA, However, he might feature purely as a batter for the Thunder and can play Premier cricket for Sydney only after consent from Cricket NSW.
The 26-year old player from New South Wales was even withdrawn from the squad for Sydney’s encounter against the Stars on Wednesday. This will be a jolt for the franchise as one of their first-choice spinners will no longer be available for the entire season this BBL.
In his stint for the Thunders in this edition of the Big Bash league, Chris has bowled economically conceding only 7.55 runs per over. However, he hasn’t had luck by his side with only 3 wickets in the season so far.
After a suspension of 90 days, Green will undergo another test after in order to make his way back into the competitive cricket, if he’s cleared to bowl with legal action. The ban is relevant to the competitions run by CA, and it’s up to the boards of other countries to permit the bowler to take part in the domestic tournaments run on their soil.
Most recently, the Thunders’ recruit signed a six-year deal with the franchise in the BBL, the longest ever in the tournament history. Even in the IPL auction conducted in December last year, the off-spinner was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders at his base price for INR 20 lakhs.
Peter Roach, Cricket Australia’s Head of Cricket Operations, commended the cricketer and the franchise for co-operating in the process. “We’d like to commend Chris and the Thunder for the way they have approached this process with complete cooperation and respect,” Roach said.
Green, who has gradually earned a name for himself as a T20 bowler with his exploits in the past seasons at the Big Bash, has been in the national reckoning for a selection in the T20I side. However, the likes of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar and their decent show for the national side, hasn’t really allowed Green to make it into the national side.
