Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu has called Cricket Australia’s decision of not making Cameron Green bowl in the initial phase of IPL as absurd. Cameron Green, who was bought for a whopping price of Rs 25.20 crore. Kolkata Knight Riders did not bowl a single over in their first match against Mumbai Indians in the IPL auction.
Kolkata has spent a huge amount on the Australian all-rounder for the current season. However, like Ambati Rayudu, every fan was surprised when Cameron Green was not given the ball to bowl despite being available in the field. When the KKR captain was asked about this decision, he said, ‘You should ask Cricket Australia.’
Ambati Rayudu criticized Cricket Australia and Cameron Green
During a recent discussion on ESPN Cricinfo after the completion of the match, former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu criticized Cricket Australia (CA) for a strange decision where an international player was barred from bowling to manage his workload.
KKR’s two main bowlers, Harshit Rana and Mathisha Pathirana (for the first half) are unavailable for the current season due to their respective injuries. KKR team management had high expectations from this powerful Australian all-rounder. However, when it emerged that he would not be available to bowl in the opening matches, it sparked debate at Cricket Australia (CA).
On this, Ambati Rayudu trolled Cricket Australia and said, “Can he play cover drive or not? Maybe his elbow gets hurt. Maybe he should flick the ball.”
This decision led to KKR losing their first match against Mumbai Indians as in the second innings, when Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickleton were at the crease, they failed to score runs and later made a huge partnership of 148 runs while chasing the target of 221. Had Cameron Green been given a chance to bowl, the story could have been different for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Powerful words from Ambati Rayudu: ‘The player knows best
Moving on to this, Ambati Rayudu termed it as absurd and said that the cricket board is not the best to judge a player, especially when it comes to workload management.
Ambati Rayudu said, “My mother always wanted me to wear a helmet, but I never liked it. It doesn’t mean that my mother signs a contract and sends me out saying ‘he can’t play, my son can get injured’.”
This decision resulted in KKR losing their first game by 6 wickets despite scoring a huge score of 220 runs on the board. MI achieved the target in 19.1 overs.
Piyush Chawla stands with Ambati Rayudu on Cameron Green controversy
During the same discussion, former India and Mumbai Indians leg spinner Piyush Chawla supported Ambati Rayudu’s views on CA not allowing Cameron Green to bowl in the IPL. He questioned whether an all-rounder would be included in the BBL playing eleven given similar circumstances. Chawla said:
“Well, their board has said that he can’t bowl in a certain number of games. I just want to know if an all-rounder goes to the Big Bash and if you write on that note that he can’t bat or he can’t run, will he be included in the playing XI? I don’t think so. Why is it here? It’s very simple.”