IPL Auction 2019 | Chris Green backs IPL stint for T20I WC selection

IPL Auction 2019 | Chris Green backs IPL stint for T20I WC selection

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Australian spinner Chris Green, the most economical T20 bowler this year, reckoned his IPL stint with Kolkata Knight Riders will give him a chance to show his mettle for the next year’s T20I World Cup selection. The Sydney Thunder spinner has an economy of 6.57 in T20 cricket in the past 12 months.

Topping the list of most economical bowlers in T20 cricket, Chris Green was hoping to get a run in the “pinnacle of T20 cricket”, the IPL. He is having an astonishing economy of 6.57 in the last 12 months, leaving behind the likes of Imran Tahir and Rashid Khan. Speaking of the chances of getting picked in the IPL auction by the Kolkata Knight Riders, Green said that he set his base price to be very low to have a possible chance of being picked.

"I went in really low to give myself the best possible chance to go over there, learn, and grow my gameI'm yet to hear a bad thing about the IPL from any of the guys that have been there - they've all said it's the pinnacle of T20 cricket," said ESPNcricinfo.

He was bought for his base price of Rs. 20 lakh whereas his fellow countrymen Pat Cummins who was picked up by the same franchise became the most expensive player in the auction with Rs 15.50 crore. With frontline foreign players like Cummins, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Eoin Morgan, it will be hard for Green to find a spot in the first place. He knows his job will primarily be shadowing Narine throughout the tournament. Remembering the PSL (Pakistan Super League) times, Green talks about being a back-up member or shadowing a reputed player.

"I was with Narine at Lahore Qalandars in my first-ever PSL, and just shadowed him really. We were bowling together in the nets, and that's when I first started developing my carrom ball and basically picking his brains - observing what he does well and seeing what I can take from his game and implement it in mine.

"That's the biggest part of it, that amazing set-up… where I can work on my game with some of the best coaches. Sunil's bowling coach Carl Crowe is there [at KKR] so I'm looking forward to working with him, and obviously doing some batting stuff too."

With Australian selectors persisting with Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa, Green promises to keep performing to come under the radar of selectors.

"Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa [the incumbent T20 spinners] are doing really well and did well at the start of the summer here against Sri Lanka and Pakistan so it's going to be a tough egg to crack. But I'll keep doing my best to put those guys under pressure: if it(T20I WC selection) happens, it would be an absolute dream come true."

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