Mumbai had been yearning for the real Cameron Green to reveal his true colours in the Indian Premier League — and when he did, it was well worth the wait.
Needing their big-money signing to deliver when they needed him most, Green obliged on his home turf in Mumbai with a sensational match-winning century on Sunday to keep their play-off hopes alive.
Smashing the Sunrisers Hyderabad attack to all parts of the Wankhede Stadium, Green, who has threatened a monster innings like this for the last couple of months, scored the winning single to move to three figures and leapt in the air for joy.
His price tag of $3.15m, making him the most expensive Australian IPL player of all time, may have been a heavy one, but Green had not let himself down throughout the rest of the tournament with a couple of blistering fifties and some challenging bowling that brought him six wickets.
But this was a performance of a very different order. Having delivered one excellent over to concede just two runs in Hyderabad's crushing total of 5-200, Green came in at 1-20 and looked steely-eyed from the start as he flayed the Sunrisers with a remarkable demonstration of power-hitting.
He blasted his way to 50 off just 20 balls, leaving India captain Rohit Sharma very much the junior partner early in their 128-run partnership.
And when the skipper was dismissed for a 37-ball 56, the 23-year-old Green took control along with the peerless Suryakumar Yadav to guide Mumbai to victory with 12 balls still remaining.
He muscled eight sixes as well as eight fours, with the only question being whether he might run out of time to get that precious maiden IPL ton as Suryakumar (25no) was making hay at the other end.
The pair managed — just about, amid a touch of farce — to contrive that Green hit the winning single while also making three figures.
Yet even the great Sachin Tendulkar was left laughing on the Mumbai bench at the transformation which saw Green ending up scratching around to earn the precious single after he'd spent the rest of the innings wreaking mayhem.
"When we had about 20 to get, I just said to Sky [Suryakumar] 'just finish it'," explained Green.
"Obviously, we'd come here to win so you've got to make sure of that first. But with a couple of runs left, I thought I might as well trickle across the line [for the hundred]."
Asked if he'd felt any pressure this season because of the high expectations from Mumbai before he finally got into his stride, Green shrugged: "Potentially — but the whole set-up has been awesome. It [the pressure] wasn't from the team, but probably myself."
After Green's heroics in the eight-wicket win, Mumbai were left with an anxious wait to see if they would secure the fourth and final playoff spot, knowing it would go to Royal Challengers Bangalore instead if they beat Gujarat Titans later on Sunday.
In the end, the Titans emerged victorious. Virat Kohli excited Bangalore fans with an unbeaten 101 off 61 balls, as RCB made 5-197 off their 20 overs.
But his century was matched by swashbuckling opener Shubman Gill, who thrashed five fours and eight big sixes for an unbeaten 104 off 52 balls to take Gujarat to a six-wicket victory, sealing Mumbai's place in the finals.
AAP/ABC
