MERBEIN’S English import Ben Green will show no mercy after ripping through Mildura Settlers with a career-best bowling performance last weekend.
The 21-year-old from Stoke took 6/19 as Settlers were skittled for just 29, one of the lowest scores in Sunraysia cricket history, to set up the Magpies’ first win of the season.
Green said his team would enforce the follow-on “straight away” and push for maximum points on Saturday as they look to get their season back on track.
“After a difficult start to the season, we’d like to get some back at the early point of the season,” he said.
Green admitted it had been a tough start to the season, both for himself and his new team, but hoped his performance last weekend was the start of bigger things.
“I think I just got everything right, the first few weeks I had to adapt to the different conditions,” he said of his six-wicket haul.
“At home, the pitches are a bit slower and do a bit more, you can rely on gaining a bit of swing whereas here, you need to bowl quicker and hit the pitch harder while bowling a decent line.”
Green said he had grown up idolising Australian quick Glenn McGrath, closely followed by England great Stuart Broad.
“Even though he’s an Aussie. I really liked watching the way he went about it,” Green said of McGrath.
“Obviously both guys are very tall, I think Stuart Broad is one of those guys that’s more Aussie than English and that’s why he’s disliked so much in Australia.”
Green also made a strong contribution with the bat last Saturday, making a quickfire 28 not out before stumps to have Merbein 8/215, almost 200 clear of the winless Settlers.
