The 26-year-old has been around the Thunder squad since BBL04 and was a member of the winning team in the following season.  Green is now a regular for the side and has been rewarded for his loyalty and consistent performances. 

As a dedicated white-ball cricketer, Green plays around the world in franchise cricket. However, it is the BBL that Green enjoys the most.

“I’m biased, I love the BBL," he says. "For me, it was my first opportunity to play professional cricket, and the Thunder gave me that opportunity which I’m incredibly grateful for.

"I’ve really always loved playing in front of friends and family, so that adds that extra touch to it for me.”

Green’s experiences in the competition-winning season are not forgotten. In fact, he’s thankful of that and how it repaid the fans.

“The early days of the Thunder was pretty thin in terms of results, so being a part of that winning team in BBL05 and giving back to our loyal fans some reward for their tireless hours of support towards us was something that was really special to be a part,” he says.

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Apart from the winning campaign, Thunder has not seen the finals. It is a poor return based on the personnel that the Thunder have had at their disposal.

Rather than gloss over the fact, it something that Green is prepared to recognise and use as a motivation for the season to come.

“There’s no hiding the fact that our performances – if you take out BBL05 and winning – haven’t been up to the standard or the goal that we set out," he admits.

"We come together every year that I’ve been a part of it and talk about winning the BBL and lifting that trophy, particularly for the guys that were part of BBL05 and want to get that feeling back.”

The Sydney Thunder squad tasked with the BBL09 campaign looks different to last season.

The loss of Shane Watson’s experience will be difficult to replace while Jos Buttler’s explosive batting will be missed. Fawad Ahmed and Kurtis Patterson have both headed west to the Scorchers.

“Change is often a good thing, and it’s going to be something that is going to be different," says Freen.

"For me personally, I lose two of my closest friends at the Thunder in Shane Watson and Fawad Ahmed, who I don’t really need to talk about the wealth of experience, and the potential they add to a team.

"But I really think this year in our discussions already we’ve got a lot of balance and a lot of options within the group."

The addition of Chris Morris and Alex Hales along with Chris Tremain and Alex Ross moving to the Thunder motivates Green.

“We’ve got an exciting group that have joined the squad this year that will take time to grow and find their feet in the competition," he says,

"I think that’s really exciting because they can go out there and play fearless cricket with no expectations.”

Despite results not being desirable, Green was keen to stress how positive the squad remains.

The team joker came from an unlikely source last season: “That was Joe Root. At the start, he was very cheeky, but he was great to have around the group as England captain.”

With Root not returning, due to his international commitments, there is a gap to fill but Green is not a candidate.

“I’m too safe to be it," he says. "I’ll poke fun at the bear every now and again, but probably the way things are shaping up, we could see more [Usman] Khawaja, and he’s a great player to have in the dressing room.”

Finally, Green talked about his goals.  The spinner is not content to be known as a white ball/franchise cricket specialist but still harbours hope to represent Australia.

With the T20 World Cup less than a year away, on home soil, Green may still force his way into contention.

He adds: “My absolute dream is to play cricket for Australia.

"Along with any kid who plays cricket in the backyard who picks up a cricket bat and wants to play cricket, dreams of representing their country and that’s still my absolute dream.

“I’m fortunate to be doing what I’m doing and travelling the world and playing the game that I love. But that dream and aspiration of representing Australia on the big stage would be amazing.”

Cricket fans can watch the BBL live on Kayo Sports
click here for a free two-week trial!