Interview: Ben Green

Ben Green is one of Somerset’s brightest talents and a product of the county’s youth system, coming up through the ranks alongside Dom Bess and Tom Banton from the age of 10. Now 22 years old, he has shaped himself into a true Swiss Army knife all-rounder, opening the batting in red ball cricket and turning his arm over in white-ball formats.

We caught up with Ben ahead of the 2021 County Championship kick off, to see how he’s been coping with playing cricket in a global pandemic, and learn more about his journey - from his first ever cricket bat, to going up against Sir Alastair Cook.

First things first, how have you been handling lockdown?

Overall, I’d actually say pretty well. I’m sure I speak for everyone by saying I’ve had bad days when you feel a bit down and feel like it’s never going to end, but I’m feeling very up beat now. I’m very grateful for the fact we’ve [Somerset CCC] been able to train and get out there for the last couple of months when lots of people have been confined to their house or flat. I’m also a little bit more upbeat now Boris has given us his plan so hopefully, hopefully, it all stays on track and we’ve got some light at the end of the tunnel.

How have been passing the time during lockdown?

I was living with Ollie [Sale] at the time of the first lockdown, so we used to go out for runs to try and keep up with our strength & conditioning most days, but there was quite a lot of Call of Duty and Netflix that went on.

I actually quite valued that time [gaming], because that was the time you could socialise with your friends at the other end of the mic. The club also organised a few Zoom quizzes which was a good time for us to link up and see someone other than Ollie and his long blonde hair.

So Somerset jumped on the Zoom quiz hype??

Yeah for about six or eight weeks we had a club quiz night. It was quite fun actually, one week we delved into everyone’s old social media and had a little round that had quotes from peoples Facebook from 2010. Our S&C coach, he’s quite a stickler for nutrition and we found a quote from him when he was at University saying — “can’t wait to smash a few Stellar’s tonight!”

Can’t imagine you’ll let him forget that one! 

Did you find there were parallels with how you spent your time in lockdown and when you were recovering from your shin surgery earlier in your career?

It is obviously quite limiting, naturally, when you’re injured. I could only crutch around - downstairs & back upstairs was about the extent of my movement - so it was quite similar. I got into my reading over that period of time; a few books about property, a few novels but then I still managed to get on the Xbox to play with my mates so there were quite a lot of similarities but the subtle difference is that I couldn’t really move when recovering!

An operation like that, where you’re so limited with your movement, how tough was that, mentally, to stay motivated?

I actually didn’t find it that tough. I don’t know if I’m weird like that because I knew the process, I trusted the our physio (Jamie Thorpe) so I knew what I had to do and I was pretty regimented in how I stuck to the rehab programme so it wasn’t so much what I can’t do, I was trying to focus on the stuff I could do. 

The first few weeks were probably the hardest when I was just sat at home, but past that I was in at the ground seeing the other guys and the physio. When that happens it’s almost a bit more of a linear pattern, get into the swing of things and get the rehab going.

Looking back now to the very beginning of your journey, growing up as a kid, was there a particular cricketer you idolised?

Freddie Flintoff. He’s probably quite a popular one but I have the box set of the Ashes 2005 Test series that I reckon I’ve watched maybe 10 times. He was an entertainer wasn’t he, whether he was batting or bowling, he was the kind of guy who could change a game.

Thinking back even further, what’s your first ever cricket memory?

I wouldn’t say I have one distinct memory that stands out but some of my earliest memories are down at the local cricket club, Clyst St George. Less the cricket actually, more the social aspect - sitting down with a can of Diet Coke and a bag of sweets on the little tiled area just in front of the clubhouse and looking out onto the cricket pitch on Friday evenings.

I don’t actually remember the training at 6 or 7 years old, it’s more the fun half an hour afterwards, high on E numbers.

Do you remember your first cricket bat?

My first ever, ever, cricket bat was a size 2 plastic Hunts County which was a nice little number that I used to whack tennis balls around the garden with. But my first proper bat was a Kookaburra Diablo.

Classic. Do you still have it…?

I do! Although it actually get cut down into a thin bat but I do still have it at home.

How old were you when you hit your first century?

I was 13 years old. For Exeter CC 3rd team playing at Bicton, against Topsham St James. I don’t even remember hitting the runs, I just remember I was using a Kookaburra Ice. Nice bit of wood that one.

Is there one shot when batting that sticks in your memory?

Yeah, it’s probably a 6 that I hit to bring up my double century. It was an off spinner bowling around the wicket and they knew we were declaring so he was trying to fire them in, so I ran down the wicket and managed to get it on the full - I was panicking a little thinking “this is touch & go, could be caught” - but fortunately it plopped over into about the third or fourth row.

Whilst coming up through the Somerset academy, are we right in thinking you progressed through the ranks with the likes of Dom Bess and Tom Banton?

Yeah that’s right. So Bessy’s one school year older than me but we’re only 2 months apart, so we both joined in the same year in the academy. I played a season of Devon cricket with Bessy when we were 10 so we’ve certainly played a lot of cricket together and are great mates. 

It must have been great to play together in youth cricket, and then both receive pro contracts. Are we right in thinking when you first signed on the dotted line for Somerset, they had the likes of Chris Gayle and Mahela Jayawardene playing?

Yeah they both were there. I think I was in my final year of the academy and I have this fan boy photo of me and Chris Gayle, which was pretty surreal meeting the ‘Universe Boss’ at that time. He was the number 1 batsman in the world, and I think that year he hit that 150 against Kent where he smashed every ball. I think I was twelfth man for that game and I saw the man hit some behemoth sixes.

What’s he like in the nets?

In the nets he just has underarms or throws. In the warm up, he whacks them, does a bit of range hitting, hits them into the crowd, then walks back in just with his gloves and his bat. All very relaxed. He obviously knows his game incredibly well and knew what he needed to do.

We’ve always wondered, as professional cricketers, what do you do to pass the time when there’s a rain delay?

Well we normally play cards, but at the moment because it’s so early in the season and we’re all so game for cricket we’ve even been playing ‘wrong handed cricket’ in the changing room. However when the season gets going and we’re playing four, five, six days a week we’ll probably enjoy the time to play some cards or some Uno.

Are you any good at cards?

Ah, cards is all luck! We play the game ‘500’ which is a good game and I’ve always got to play against [Max] Waller because beating him is the most satisfying thing. He’s so, so competitive. If you ever beat him he’s so sour about it, it’s very satisfying. That’s my aim, beat Waller.

Looking at your journey so far, you’ve progressed through the England youth ranks having played all over the world. Where’s the toughest place you’ve played a game of cricket?

I think it was when we did an U17’s tour to Sri Lanka in the middle of their summer. It was one of those tours where it’s late 30/40 degrees but sticky. That was one really challenging aspect. Then you’ve obviously got pitches turning and dusty wickets which are both challenging for my bowling and batting so you have to adapt, that was probably the first look at sub-continental cricket I had.

It’s different challenges where you go though. We went to Bangladesh where the challenge of playing in the U19 World Cup was tough, on TV. That was our first exposure of playing on TV and everyone is wanting to do well, and then you’re against the best players in the world at Under 19 level. You have the likes of Rishabh Pant and Wiaan Mulder playing so that was definitely tough.

Playing against Rishabh Pant, could you tell how good he was at that time?

We actually played him in the build up to the World Cup and I can’t remember him getting many runs against us! But when watching some of his innings in that U19 World Cup and thought “this is a bit freakish” because he got an 18 ball 50…and he was opening the batting.

Has there been that one player where you’re playing against them and just think “f*** me, that’s a player”?

The most recent one that sticks out is when we played the Bob Willis Final last year and Alastair Cook is playing, and he just made the game look completely different to any other batter that batted on that pitch. So simple. Against our bowling attack that had been so prolific all year and we’d only gone for 200, I think, once that whole year, and Alastair Cook is there peeling off a hundred like it was the easiest thing. Like he’d do it in his sleep. I know everyone always says it but he literally did just cut, pull, clip, and the occasional cover drive. It was so simple, but if it was in his area he’d just hit it for four.

Did you manage to get a shirt or chat to him after the game?

I’m not a huge one for memorabilia, but we were in the Essex changing room afterwards and I had a quick chat to him where he told me to keep my moustache…which is currently MIA.

As a young cricketer with your best years of your career ahead of you, what are your thoughts on Test cricket, compared to the other shorter formats of the game?

In my opinion, Test cricket is still the pinnacle of cricket. Obviously the game is evolving and will continue to evolve, I’m sure, and the fan base for T20 cricket is huge but as a player of the game there’s no greater challenge than Test cricket I think - playing five days of cricket in a row against 90mph bowling and turning pitches, trying to bat for six hours, there’s nothing quite like it.

It’s one aspect of the game, T20s and 50 overs is also incredibly enjoyable and in different ways trying to hit 36 in an over is exciting in a completely different manner than trying to bat out a spell against someone who’s bowling at your head.

At the moment I’m enjoying all formats and trying to pave my way in all three in different ways by opening the batting in red ball cricket at the moment, whilst batting a bit lower down in T20 and bowling a bit more as an all-rounder.

Looking ahead to the 2021 season, how are you feeling about it?

Yeah obviously excited. It’s been quite a long winter. The last few I’ve tried to get out to Australia so you’re still in the flow of things but it’s been a long winter in the indoor school and in-between lockdowns so everyone is raring to go. We’re still gunning for that championship and this year feels a bit more of a proper championship year you know, last year it was a different format but this year that’s at the forefront of everyone’s mind. We’ve got people coming back like Lewis, Banton, Abes and Leachy in the last week or so, so that brings some quality players back in.

Has there been any challenges in this preparation period with COVID-19 restrictions?

I think it’s been less challenging this year as it’s rolled over as natural habits from last year. We haven’t played without those restrictions since 2019 so it’s a little bit second nature.

And finally, how much are you looking forward to that first ball being bowled?

It’ll be a nervous time…if I’m facing it that is! But very much looking forward to it and it’s going to be at Lord’s so it’s going to be nice being back there after last year and hopefully try and win on the hallowed turf.

Keep an eye on Ben Green this season for Somerset CCC. He’s a player.