Photo Credit: Sydney Thunder
Chris Green has long been considered a superhero by Sydney Thunder fans because of the all-rounder’s competitive streak that underpins his inspirational bowling, fielding, and batting – but a marathon three-hour body paint session ensured he really fit the bill.
The 29-year-old was painted green – like the popular Marvel character The Hulk – to represent the transformation from mild-mannered nice guy to competitive beast whenever he crosses the boundary line for Thunder.
Green, who was a talented enough tennis player to be offered a scholarship with a college in the US before deciding to focus his energies on cricket, acknowledged he was born with a broad competitive streak.
“I’m someone that hates losing,” he said. “I’m very passionate about the teams that I play for, and always want to do well for the team. It probably stems to my tennis background and the individual competitiveness that you’ve got to bring to the table.”
However, Green, who took nine wickets on his recent debut for the NSW Sheffield Shield team, said besides boasting a sense of humour, he’s also not scared to challenge himself to leave his comfort zone.
“[I’m] also someone who just wants to have fun,” he said. “That was the whole goal of the photo shoot, to have a lot of fun with it; to showcase my competitive side, and to see if I can scare a few people – including myself!”
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A realist, Green said based on the reaction he received from his fiancé Bella, he’s going to receive a lot of ‘stick’ from his teammates – and opposition – for channelling his inner-Hulk.
“I sent [Bella] a photo once the face was done and she just laughed,” Green said. “She loves taking the mickey out of me even though she’s been a great amount of support. Whenever I ring her that photo pops up on her phone… and she was very quick to show it to me.
[My teammates] haven’t seen it yet, I’m going to get a lot of stick for it, I’m sure. However, it’s about getting out of your comfort zone and showing another side of yourself and having fun. I think that’s the Big Bash encapsulated – it promotes the game.
“A lot of kids can [relate] with that Avenger series. I’m Green… I love the Hulk as well… it shows a different side of me. My ulterior motive on the field is [to be] a fierce competitor but I don’t mind having a bit of fun.”
As Thunder prepares for the KFC BBL’s season opener against Melbourne Stars at Manuka Oval in Canberra, Green asked his club’s loyal fans to follow his lead and paint their stadium green this summer.
“We start our season on Tuesday, and it’s coming around really quickly,” he said. “But we’re really looking forward to coming home to Showground Stadium for that first game in Sydney [against Adelaide on Friday, December 16] with our fans.
“I can’t wait to see the stadium green – and as green as I was as The Hulk!”
Sydney Thunder BBL|12 Squad
Head Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Contracted Players: Jason Sangha (C), Ben Cutting, Ollie Davies, Brendan Doggett, Fazalhaq Farooqi (AFG), Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales (ENG), Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Usman Qadir (PAK), Alex Ross, Rilee Rossouw (RSA), Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner (AUS), Sam Whiteman
Sydney Thunder BBL|12 Home Fixtures
Tue 13 Dec | Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Stars | Manuka Oval | 7:15pm
Fri 16 Dec | Sydney Thunder v Adelaide Strikers | Sydney Showground Stadium | 8:15pm
Tue 27 Dec | Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat | Sydney Showground Stadium | 7:15pm
Sat 31 Dec | Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes | Lavington Sports Ground | 3:30pm
Sun 8 Jan | Sydney Thunder v Sydney Sixers | Sydney Showground Stadium | 7:15pm
Fri 13 Jan | Sydney Thunder v Perth Scorchers | Sydney Showground Stadium | 6:30pm
Thu 19 Jan | Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Renegades | Manuka Oval | 7:15pm
Name of Author: Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder is an Australian professional cricket team competing in the Big Bash League (BBL). Based at Sydney Showground Stadium, the Thunder, along with the Sydney Sixers, succeeded the New South Wales Blues from the defunct KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.
