Green quashes rumours about not being able to bowl at start of IPL

NEW DELHI: Australia's fast-bowling all-rounder Cameron Green has quashed rumours of not being able to bowl for a part of the upcoming IPL 2023 season. Various reports suggested that Green would be able to bowl for five-time IPL winners Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023 from April 13 due to recovery from a fractured finger.

"No, that's not correct. I've heard about this for quite a while now I think. I don't know where it's come from. I've heard that I'm 100 per cent available for both skill sets in the IPL at the start, so yeah, I'm not too sure where that's kind of come from," Green told SEN WA Sportsday radio show.

After breaking his finger on the second day of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at the MCG, Green was ruled out of the ongoing third Test in Sydney and has since undergone surgery.

However, he has set his eyes firmly on being fit for the four-match Test series against India starting on February 9. Both Green and Mitchell Starc, who also has a finger injury, are racing against time to be fit and available for selection.

"Obviously my priority is the Test Series that's beforehand. I think me and Starcy (Starc) are maybe touch and go for that first one (in Nagpur) but obviously, we'll give ourselves the best chance."

Following that series and three ODIs against India, Green will be turning out for Mumbai in IPL 2023. At the IPL 2023 player auction, Green was snapped up by Mumbai for over INR 17.5 crore, the second most for a player after England's Sam Curran. Expectations are rising from the all-rounder, who's not letting the big IPL paycheck distract him.

"Yeah obviously it turned out really well but I think at the same time you want to go out there and perform and kind of re-pay the faith they showed you. I think just having the right people around you I think keeps you pretty humble in a way."

"You've got the right people to drag you down if you get too ahead of yourself, but also the right people to bring you back up when you're going not as great as you like. I think that's kind of Cricket. It's a game of failures, you're going to fail more than you succeed. As long as you have the right people around you to kind of bring you back up is probably key," he concluded.