“He hasn’t batted” - Shane Bond defends Cameron Green amid question marks over role in team

Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling coach Shane Bond has defended all-rounder Cameron Green after the latter failed to get going with the willow at the death against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Bond pointed out that the Aussie has slipped down the batting order as the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 has progressed.

Green was unbeaten on four off six balls as Mumbai Indians went down to LSG in a crucial league match in Lucknow on Tuesday, May 16. Chasing 178, Green came into bat at No. 7. He threw his bat around but failed to hit a single boundary, looking completely out of rhythm.

In the post-match press conference, Bond shared his views on Green’s struggles and commented:

“I don’t think it’s a case of being up to the mark. If you look over the last few games and we have won the games, he’s just slid down to number seven. He hasn’t batted and the same tonight - a handful of balls. He couldn’t get the runs, but he has still been an important part of our team.”

The former New Zealand fast bowler went on to explain that Green’s role in the batting department has changed with other players, Suryakumar Yadav in particular, striking form. He elaborated:

“He was at three at the top of the tournament and did a great job for us. As it’s turned, we’ve just used other players and Surya [Suryakumar] in particular, who has pushed up to number three, which has pushed Greenie to the backend of the innings.

“With Cameron, it’s not about how he goes or how someone goes. It’s a game we should have won today if we had just been better in a couple of patches of cricket.”

Green has scored 281 runs in 13 IPL 2023 matches at an average of 40.14 and a strike rate of 146.35.

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“We've chased brilliantly throughout the tournament” - Bond on bowling first

Asked if he felt bowling first after winning the toss in Lucknow was the wrong move, Bond gave an indirect answer and replied that they backed their strength, which is to chase down totals.

He stated:

“If you look at the strength of our team, it’s our batting. We have a long batting order and we've chased brilliantly throughout the tournament. LSG have struggled on this wicket as well.

“I think both teams were quite unsure about what exactly the wicket was going to do and how it was going to play. In the end, the last four overs [with the ball] cost us and we still ended up only five runs short. So, the wicket played out quite well right till the end.”

Having gone down to LSG, Mumbai’s playoff qualification chances have suffered a major setback. They now need to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their last league match on May 21, while also hoping other results go their way.