Shane Bond, the bowling coach for Mumbai, defended the Australian all-rounder Green after noticing that concerns were being raised about his form.
On Tuesday, May 16, the 63rd game of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) featured a matchup between the Lucknow Super Giants, led by Krunal Pandya, and the five-time champion Mumbai Indians at the Ekana Sports City Stadium in Lucknow. Through the efforts of Krunal Pandya and Marcus Stoinis, Lucknow was able to score 177 runs. Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma appeared in excellent rhythm during the run chase for the five-time defending champions. Cameron Green and Tim David were unable to complete the game for Mumbai, who lost by a narrow margin. After the defeat, numerous inquiries were voiced about Green’s appearance.
The Australian all-rounder was acquired by Mumbai for a staggering INR 17.5 crore at the IPL 2023 auction, and such a price tag comes with a great deal of expectation. So far in the tournament, the 23-year-old has played 13 matches, scoring 281 runs and taking six wickets. In the match against Lucknow, Cameron Green scored four runs, unbeaten off six deliveries, but was unable to propel his team to victory.
“I do not believe it is a matter of being up to par. If you consider the last few games, in which we have been victorious, he has fallen to seventh place. He has not batted, and he has only faced a smattering of balls tonight. Bond stated in the post-game press conference that, despite his inability to score runs, he remained a vital member of the team.
“He finished third in the tournament and did an excellent job for us. As it turns out, we’ve utilized other players, Surya [Suryakumar] in particular, who has been promoted to number three, which has relegated Greenie to the end of the innings,” he added.