Foxes coach Thomas tips Green for England
Alex Green finished with figures of 5-25 in Leicestershire's victory against Surrey
- Published
Leicestershire coach Alfonso Thomas has tipped youngster Alex Green to be picked for England in the future after his side comfortably saw off Surrey in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Green, 18, produced terrific figures of 5-25 in his first match for the club's first XI this season, bowling with express speed throughout to dismiss the entirety of Surrey's middle order, including England international Ben Foakes.
"That was exciting to watch, not just as a Leicester fan but as an England fan in years to come," Thomas told BBC Radio Leicester.
"If he bowls like that, the fast-bowling cartel is in a good place for England."
Green has had to compete with a strong bowling attack which has marched to the top of Division Two in the County Championship this season.
The collective efforts of left-arm seamer Josh Hull, Logan van Beek, Tom Scriven and all-rounders Ian Holland, Rehan Ahmed and Somerset loanee Ben Green have seen the Foxes amass 181 red-ball wickets so far to help gather 30 bowling points - the highest in the division.
But Thomas is backing the tall seamer to make a big impact on the game sooner rather than later.
"Those that have seen him last year always knew that there was going to be a bowler there, but today he has exceeded my expectations," he added.
"He does look a lot leaner than at the start of the season but again that comes with playing cricket and bowling.
"There is no coincidence that he's bowled that way today, because he has been bowling a lot at a decent level. That's exciting for me today, definitely."
Despite being given only a handful of first-team opportunities by Leicestershire, Green has been a mainstay of the England Lions side this summer and took 3-50 against India Under-19's at Northampton in June.
The teenager refused to take the limelight for Wednesday's six-wicket victory, however, instead focusing on his side's disciplined display.
"Of course I'm very happy, but I'm just glad we could get over the line as a team. I think nobody stood out, everyone played their part very, very well," Green said.
"I feel like my rhythm got better during the innings. It was a nice pitch to bowl on, so it felt good. Physically, bowling-wise, everything has come on quite nicely."
Green joined Leicestershire at the age of 10 and said his love of cricket comes from his father and brother, who both played while he was growing up.
"They were both here today," he added.
"I haven't spoken to them yet, but hopefully they were impressed with it."