Fifty days in quarantine is the price Sydney Thunder cricketer Chris Green was happy to pay to continue his career overseas and fulfil one of his boyhood dreams.
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He reached an unusual milestone this year, following stints in England, the Caribbean and UAE since July 2020.
"I hit my 50th day locked in a hotel room, so that was an interesting milestone to tick off. For me the sacrifice to be able to play my cricket is well worth it," he said.
"I've done 28 days in Australia locked in a room and then 22 overseas."
It came at a price but the 28-year-old got to live out his boyhood dream of playing at Lord's Cricket Ground after signing with Middlesex County Cricket Club in the BBL off-season.
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Green then travelled to play in his fourth Caribbean Premier League season to play for the Jamaica Tallawahs.
After those 50 days, the all-rounder was itching to get back on the pitch for his side's Big Bash League season opener next week in Canberra.
The side's first fixture against the Brisbane Heat is set for Monday, December 6 at Manuka Oval, before it returns later in the month to play the Perth Scorchers on December 28.
"Last year it became a proper home away from home with the amount of games we played down there in the bubble. And in the past, we played a lot of games down there," he said.
"So it certainly feels very much like our home fortress and we've created a really good base there. We've played some good cricket, we've got fantastic support down in Canberra and on and off the field."
The Thunder finished fourth in last season's BBL and are hoping to get back to their championship-winning ways of 2015-16.
Green was part of the side that lifted the trophy the last time Thunder won the league - one of only a handful still left.
"The Thunder have been the club that have backed me right from the start and I want to continue to give back to them. I absolutely love pulling on my Thunder shirt and running out in front of Thunder nation. It's one of my favourite feelings. So my main goal is just to continue to try and contribute to the team success and be a part of a champion team," he said.
"Any season you start you want to have your eyes firmly set on lifting that trophy at the end of the tournament and we've progressed really nicely the last couple of years.
"Personally for myself, and within the group as well, I sense that we've got that hunger and desire to go all the way after getting so close the last two years in particular."
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Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
