Cameron Green has emerged from a slump in the IPL by producing his best batting and bowling figures of the season to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Green, 24, has found it difficult to make his mark for RCB since his move from Mumbai Indians, but the talented all-rounder finally made his imposing stride to help silence the Hyderabad fans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
After his season-best unbeaten 37, off just 20 balls and with five boundaries, provided the impetus in the final innings to take RCB to a challenging 7-206, he then bowled two miserable overs for just 12 runs, while taking two crucial wickets, to help restrict Sunrisers to 8-171 and pave the way for a comprehensive 35-run victory.
One of his wickets was that of his Test captain, Cummins, who had threatened some danger in the latter innings with three sixes in his 15-ball 31 only to put a Green bumper to short third man.
Earlier, Green had also caught the key when Sunrisers’ Heinrich Klaasen had parried a big hit from Swapnil Singh so high that it seemed to float in orbit for an eternity before the big, bucket-handed Australian was able to swallow it mid-wicket.
South African Klaasen has been so dangerous this season that Green recognized it was a vital moment.
“The whole time I was thinking ‘Klaasen, Klaasen…’ in my head, so I was happy to remember it,” Green said at the post-game ceremony.
Green triumphed as his Australian teammate Glenn Maxwell continued his self-imposed break from IPL duty after a poor run of form.
Still, Green is not quite sure what his best role is as a batsman and bowler in the IPL.
“I’m still at an early stage in my career and I’m still trying to figure it out for myself,” he shrugged after topping his runs as RCB’s number five.
“Obviously I like to improve the order, but also everyone else in the team, so wherever I can fit into the team and try to help, I will do that.”
Green admitted he “definitely disagreed” with captain Faf du Plessis’ decision to bat first.
“But the credit goes to the captain and the coach for achieving it,” he admitted, after Virat Kohli had led the way for RCB with another half-century (51 off 43) and player of the match Rajat Patidar smashed a 20.50 ball with five sixes.
Du Plessis couldn’t have been happier for Green after some of his recent struggles.
“Greeny getting runs tonight will be huge for him, it will just take a weight off his shoulders,” the skipper said.
A rarity followed when seemingly unstoppable opener Travis Head (1) lasted just three balls in the Sunrisers’ reply, beating Will Jacks to Karn Sharma with an ugly hoik.
It was the first single-figure score of the tournament for the Australian opener as he fell further behind Kohli, who made 430 in nine innings, in the race for the orange cap as top run-getter.
But Cummins shrugged, saying the Sunrisers’ daring all-or-nothing attack was always likely to fail on occasion.
“It’s not going to work every game, but I still think it’s the way to go for our guys,” he said.
AAP