BBL Sydney Thunder: Why Chris Green chose cricket over tennis

Life would only have needed to veer a couple of degrees and this cricketer might have been preparing for the Australian Open rather than BBL games.

Chris Green and his Thunder teammates have started the BBL in fine form.

Chris Green learned to walk on the tennis court in the backyard of the family home in South Africa

It had been both his mother and father’s field of dreams with the pair so talented they had played at Wimbledon.

Green, who grew up at Wahroonga after leaving Durban when seven and now lives on the northern beaches, was also good enough to earn a scholarship to the US to play professionally in his teens.

Chris Green batting against the Melbourne Stars at Manuka Oval in late December.

But it was summer, the weather was great and a then 18-year-old Green wasn’t keen on leaving home or his cricket mates.

“I didn’t want to leave home and I was enjoying summer. I was playing with Northern Districts then and I had all my mates,’’ said Green, who is studying a bachelor of business at UTS majoring in management and consulting and whose younger brother Cameron has followed his parents (Lisa Gould and Warren Green) into professional tennis.

Chris Green was a promising tennis star.

“One of the reasons I chose cricket is I do love the team atmosphere. I am fascinated by people and culture, it’s the background of my studies.

“I like to figure out what makes people work and how collectively we can get better at it.

“I don’t regret the decision I made. If you have a crystal ball you always love to see how far you would have gone. But once I decided on cricket there was no looking back.’’

The off-spinner and middle order batsman, who has played in England, Pakistan, Canada, the Carribean and India, believes tennis has helped him significantly as a cricketer.

Chris Green and his Thunder teammates have started the BBL in fine form.

“The tennis I played has helped me cope with pressure. In a moment, even in a team sport, you are on your own and mentally that's where it has helped me,’’ he said.

Sydney Thunder’s next outing of the BBL is against the Hobart Hurricanes on Thursday.

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