Cameron Green is adamant his $3 million pre-Christmas bank balance boost wasn‘t the performance enhancing reason for a five-wicket Boxing Day haul which helped him set a personal career-best.
Instead it was a chat with captain Pat Cummins about finding his bowling rhythm after riding the mental rollercoaster of a lack of output through the early stages of summer dominated by the home team.
Green has endured days of very “kind-natured” ribbing from his teammates, nominating Usman Khawaja as chief offender, since he was snapped up for a record $3.15 million in the Indian Premier League auction.
The 23-year-old said he didn’t do much to earn the massive payday, just “put my name in the auction and it just happened”, creating a whirlwind lead-in to the Boxing Day Test.
But Green said he never lost his focus in thoughts of spending the life-changing sums of money, aided by his fellow players “who can bring you back pretty quickly when they want to”.
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Having also declared pre-game he felt like he hadn’t done much in the three Tests before heading to Melbourne, Green said his haul of 5-24 on the opening day at the MCG, his first-ever five-wicket haul in tests, days after earning the mega-deal, was an eye-opener to the swings and roundabouts of professional spot.
“I think that‘s probably cricket summed up. You can have a really slow start to the summer and you think cricket’s so tough and then you kind of have a few days like this and kind of brings you back,” Green said after spearheading Australia’s day one demolition of South Africa.
“At the same time when you go through your highs cricket can bring you down pretty quickly.
“I haven‘t really put too much thought into (the auction). Obviously, the main focus of the team is on Test cricket. You always look forward to it, throughout the whole summer, Test cricket.
“It doesn’t change who I am, and all the confidence I have in my cricket so yeah, hopefully I didn’t change too much.”
Green had been put on a limited bowling program coming into the Test summer and while he rolled out 23 overs in the first Test against the West Indies in Perth, he was needed for just nine in the next two matches of the summer.
He said that lack of on-field work left him unsure how he was going with the ball, before a chat with captain Cummins helped steer him to a good bowling headspace, and the results flowed on Boxing Day.
“He kind of finds his rhythm when he bowls the fourth and fifth stump, gets the ball kissing through to the keeper,” Green said.
“If you‘re bowling too straight and having them pad it back to you don’t really know how you’re going and how you’re feeling.
“I‘m also very grateful that I’m bowling behind the four best bowlers in the world. So, yeah, that’s a good thing.
“I think it‘s just finding that rhythm. I think it’s been a pretty slow start to the summer and I just wanted to bowl a few (overs) so I was basically in the game.
“I got a few today. So that‘s a very special feeling. And I’m sure I will remember that for a very long time.”
