Newly-installed Desert Vipers captain Chris Green says he cannot wait to line up alongside Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan when the pair form part of the franchise’s squad for the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) T20 tournament in July and August.
Of-spinning all-rounder Green, the Australian who is currently in action with Shadab for the Islamabad side in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, has already linked up previously with the dynamic leg-spinner in Australia and the Caribbean. And now the duo, so effective for whichever sides they play for through the middle overs of opposition innings, will join forces again for the Vipers.
Speaking to the Vipers Voices podcast Green said: “I love bowling with Shadi (Shadab Khan). We have played with each other in the Caribbean before for Guyana, we recently played for the Sydney Thunder in my hometown, and now I am playing in the PSL (Pakistan Super League) with him in his hometown.
“He (Shadab Khan) is a guy I love playing with. He is a dynamic all-rounder. He does it all. I think he is a great leader as well. We have always played with each other both as non-captains and now I am playing underneath him, and it is just his levelness and calmness of his approach that has impressed me watching him captain here.
“I think he is a guy that certainly tries to lead from the front when it comes to his skill set and impact the game and dominate it with bat, ball and in the field. “If Shadab Khan is performing well, he is going to make my life easier. He is going to make all our lives a lot easier as well. He is going to be a huge (and a) key part of our success with the role that he plays.
“I think individuals can win you games, but squads win you tournaments at the end of the day. So for us as the Desert Vipers it is about coming together in the short period of time that we have and getting the best out of everyone and figuring out our best way to be successful in the conditions in Guyana across the four group games and hopefully a final or two.”
Chris Green was born in South Africa, to a South African father and an English mother. Both his parents were professional tennis players, and eventually the family moved to Australia, he chose cricket over tennis and has gone on to play for his adopted country. “My parents both played professional tennis, mum for Great Britain, dad for South Africa. It is obviously an individual sport, but both played at Wimbledon, so they achieved great heights in their own individual careers.
“Tennis was a huge part of my upbringing and still is a big part of my family life and personal life. I learned to walk on a tennis court. “My mum was a tennis coach and I would constantly spend time around her lessons. Tennis and cricket were my two passions and loves growing up and I could never decide (between them) but I took a little break when I was writing my school exams from both sports just to ensure that I would get good marks to go into college or university, depending on which route I chose.
“College in America was a strong draw card, but ultimately it was the team side of cricket that got me over the line. I enjoyed the team aspect of the game and decided to stay and play cricket in Australia and give it a crack. “Thankfully, the decision paid off and I got a bit lucky and started playing some cricket and I have progressed nicely from there.”
Chris Green represented Australia in Twenty20 International cricket in India in 2023, and he told Vipers Voices that he was still hopeful of getting a national recall. “Absolutely,” he said. “That (debut, in India) was a dream come true. It feels a little bit like a one-hit wonder but a lot of hard work and sacrifice went into that moment, so I was incredibly proud for myself and my family, and to have my wife and my dad and my brother there in India with me for my debut was really special.
“I got a glimpse of what cricket in India is like, particularly against those guys. I played one season of the IPL (Indian Premier League) but unfortunately that was in COVID with no crowds in the UAE, so I saw the talent and depth of Indian cricket then in 2020 but did not get to experience the madness and the aura of the IPL, and then at the back end of that T20 series to play and be a part of it was really special and something I will never forget.
“Australia is playing good cricket, there are some fantastic cricketers in there and unfortunately there are a couple of good batters that happen to bowl some decent off-spin as well, so there is not a need for someone playing my role at the moment. “But I will never stop trying and never stop trying to bash that door down to get another opportunity anywhere in the world because I absolutely loved it and I got hooked on it and for now it is just about putting in consistent performances wherever I go and hopefully that phone call comes again.”
With Chris set to captain the Vipers in Guyana, he also named a mentor who helped on his journey to a leadership role as well as captaincy role models. “Mike Hussey was and still is a huge mentor of mine in the cricketing world and cricketing scheme of things,” Chris said. “I have had the absolute privilege and honour to play with him, play underneath him recently with him as a coach as well, but often I have reached out to him, flicked him a message and just asked him a few questions.
“He has been very willing and open to share with me and he has taken somewhat of a vested interest in my career which, for a guy like that to be so genuine and giving of his time, I am incredibly grateful for. “Other guys I have just watched and observed when I have been playing with and against them are Eoin Morgan and Brendon McCullum, for their levelness, their authenticity about their approach and their calmness under pressure.
“I would not say lack of emotion, but they maintained very much a level-headed persona on field. They never got too animated when things were going well or poorly.” (Press release)
Here is a list of players who will represent the Desert Vipers at the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League:
Chris Green (AUS) – Captain; Jason Behrendorff (AUS); Daryl Mitchell (NZ); Bevon Jacobs (NZ); Shadab Khan (PAK); Vriitya Aravind (UAE); Khuzaima Bin Tanveer (UAE); Matiullah Khan (UAE); Sanjay Pahal (UAE); Andries Gous (USA); Kyle Mayers (WI); Khary Pierre (WI); Ramon Simmonds (WI) and Zachary Carter (WI)
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