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Aussie cricket star cops shock ban over 'illegal' act

Chris Young

Big Bash League superstar Chris Green has been banned from bowling for the remainder of the season after being found to have an illegal bowling action.

The 26-year-old, who signed a six-year deal with the Sydney Thunder on the eve of BBL09, has been banned from bowling for 90 days.

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The ban effectively prevents him from bowling for the rest of the BBL season, however he may still be selected as a batsman.

Green was cited by Cricket Australia during the Thunder’s loss to the Melbourne Stars on January 2, and subsequently agreed to testing to be done on his bowling action over the weekend.

Sydney Thunder star Chris Green has been banned from bowling for 90 days, after he was ruled to have an illegal action by Cricket Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Sydney Thunder star Chris Green has been banned from bowling for 90 days, after he was ruled to have an illegal action by Cricket Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The results of said testing showed Green’s action was illegal, leading to the ban.

In a statement, Cricket Australia’s head of cricket operations, Chris Roach, said both Green and the Sydney Thunder had worked with with the peak body after the initial citation.

“We’d like to commend Chris and the Thunder for the way they have approached this process with complete cooperation and respect,” he said.

“Chris undertook testing at the earliest possible time and satisfactorily replicated his bowling action in the controlled environment.

“We look forward to working with Chris in the coming months and conducting further testing once the suspension period has elapsed.”

Bowling ban won’t affect overseas domestic T20s

In addition to his BBL contract, which is the longest-term deal in the tournament’s history, Green was recently signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL auction.

Green’s ban will only apply in Australia, meaning he will be allowed to bowl in the IPL.

However, Green will also be permitted to bowl in Premier Cricket in Sydney, but only with the consent of Cricket NSW and with officials supervising.

The suspension is a major blow to Green's hopes of a call-up for this year's Twenty20 World Cup that is being hosted in Australia.