Green tasted that atmosphere for the first time when he joined the Bears for the last six group games of last season. He had heard plenty about it, not least from his fellow Aussies who have had to venture into the Edgbaston cauldron as the away side.

Edgbaston can be a tough place for an Aussie to play so I will be very happy to be playing on the side that all those fans are cheering on.

Chris Green

“Edgbaston can be a tough place for an Aussie to play so I will be very happy to be playing on the side that all those fans are cheering on,” Green said.

“It’s a great stadium to play at because it has got such a big atmosphere. There is always a big-match feel to games. I experienced that last season and I’m told that Finals Day takes it to another level again so it would be awesome to be involved in that as well next year.

“I’m really looking forward to coming back to the Bears. I absolutely loved my time with the club last year. The players and the support staff are brilliant guys and I was keeping in touch with them even before I knew I was coming back again next year.”

Green, who will skipper the Bears throughout the entire Blast campaign, will bring a wealth of experience to the job having competed in top-level tournaments around the world.

In 2019 alone he has played in the Big Bash in Australia, the Pakistan Super League, The Global T20 in Canada, the Vitality Blast in the UK, the Caribbean Premier League and the Abu Dhabi T10.

The 26-year-old is now gearing up for another Sydney Thunder campaign in the Big Bash, during which he will meet up with Bears first-team coach Jim Troughton who will spend 19 days down under with Melbourne Renegades in January.

“It has been a busy year for me and a really enjoyable one,” Green said. “I have learned an immense amount which hopefully will stand me in good stead for leading the Bears. I try to learn something from every tournament I play in and it is fascinating to travel to all the different places and see the different cultures and approaches and how they adapt to the conditions.

“I’m really looking forward to catching up with Troughts when the Thunder play the Renegades in Canberra. We can have dinner and talk all things Bears and then our teams will go head-to-head on the park so it will be awesome.”