Cameron Green finally underlined his value to Kolkata Knight Riders with a crucial 34-ball half-century, guiding them out of trouble against Gujarat Titans. Walking in with the side under pressure after losing three early wickets, Green counter-attacked with intent, taking on quality bowlers, including Rashid Khan, to shift the momentum. The innings came at an important time for the INR 25.2 crore signing, who had faced scrutiny after a quiet start to the season. He looked composed and positive, finding boundaries regularly to steady the innings. He fought hard till the end and scored 79 off 55 balls, which was laced with seven fours and four sixes as Kolkata Knight Riders were all out for 180.
There was a slice of fortune too. An outside edge flew past the wicketkeeper, and later, Washington Sundar put down a straightforward chance near the boundary soon after Green reached his fifty/
The Aussie all-rounder came under early scrutiny this season after not being cleared by Cricket Australia to bowl in the opening matches. The 26-year-old featured purely as a batter in his first three games while completing his recovery from a lower back injury. That restriction only added to the pressure, especially as his returns with the bat were modest. Before Friday’s knock, Green had managed just 56 runs across five innings, raising questions over his role and impact in the side during the early phase of the tournament.
He began cautiously and looked out of rhythm early on, crawling to 27 off 28 balls. However, the dismissal of Rovman Powell proved to be a turning point, as Green took charge of the innings. He went after Rashid Khan in the very next over, striking a boundary and a six to shift the momentum. That brief burst seemed to free him up, and he soon began to find gaps more consistently, lifting the scoring rate.
Cameron Green misses century
Green then stitched together a crucial 60-run partnership with Anukul Roy for the fifth wicket, reviving Kolkata Knight Riders’ hopes of reaching the 200-mark. Just when things looked stable, the innings took another hit as Anukul and Rinku Singh fell in quick succession, putting the pressure back on.
A quick cameo from Ramandeep Singh offered brief relief, but his departure, followed by Sunil Narine, left KKR reeling at eight down, with their hopes of a big total fading again.
In the end, the GT bowlers made it tough for Green to go for the century as he kept losing his batting partner and eventually, under pressure in the last couple of overs, he failed to give the team a finishing touch and eventually got out on the last ball of the innings.
