Sydney Thunder

Last updated

Sydney Thunder
Sydney Thunder logo.svg
Personnel
Captain David Warner
Coach Trevor Bayliss
Team information
Colours  Lime Green
Founded2011;14 years ago (2011)
Home ground Sydney Showground Stadium
CapacityApprox. 21,500 [1]
History
BBL  wins1: BBL05
Official website Sydney Thunder
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T20 kit

The Sydney Thunder is an Australian franchise professional cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League. [2] [3] Along with the Sydney Sixers, the Thunder is the successor to the New South Wales Blues which played in the now-defunct KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. The team's home ground is Sydney Showground Stadium.

Contents

History

Along with the Sydney Sixers, the Sydney Thunder is the successor to the New South Wales Blues which played in the now-defunct KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. The NSW Cricket board unanimously decided on lime green as the team's colour, though other colours were considered, and rejected as being too close to other Sydney sports teams. [2] Cricket Australia did not allow Cricket NSW to use the sky blue colour traditionally associated with New South Wales sports teams.

The team made its debut in the 2011-12 Big Bash League season – the inaugural season of the Big Bash League. The team performed poorly in its first few years in the competition, finishing last in each of its first three seasons and second last in its fourth season.

From 2011 to 2014, the Thunder's home ground was Stadium Australia in Sydney Olympic Park. [4] The team played its final two games of the 2014-15 Big Bash League season at Sydney Showground Stadium after it was unable to use Stadium Australia due to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup association football tournament. In June 2015, the Thunder announced the team would leave Stadium Australia and play all home games at Sydney Showground Stadium until the 2024–25 BBL season. [1]

The 2015–16 Big Bash League season marked the first year in which the Thunder finished in the top half of the table, finishing 4th overall. Having won the first three games of the season and boasting a squad including Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja and Jacques Kallis, the Thunder soon became the favourites to win the tournament. However, the Thunder lost their following four games and were in danger of missing the finals. In their final game of the 2015–16 Big Bash League season, the Thunder defeated the Sixers for only the second time in their history to book a finals berth. The Thunder faced the Adelaide Strikers at Adelaide Oval in the first semi final, winning convincingly. The Thunder then faced the Stars in the Finals the Melbourne Stars. The final was played at Melbourne Cricket Ground on 24 January 2016 and resulted in the Thunder defeating the Melbourne Stars by 3 wickets. Michael Hussey announced his retirement from domestic cricket during BBL05, at the conclusion of the tournament he was announced the club's Director of Cricket, responsible for managing recruitment, contracts, facilities and scouting for the BBL squad. The Thunder were the most watched sports team in Australia during 2015-16 with an average TV audience of 1.2m.

Watson was elected to captain the side in 2016. [5] [6] Watson captained the Thunder for three seasons, failing to qualify for the finals in each of them.

In 2019, Callum Ferguson was named as the new Thunder captain, subsequently qualifying for the finals during his two seasons in charge. Chris Green and Jason Sangha shared the captaincy role for the COVID-19 affected 2021-22 season as the Thunder were knocked out in their first finals game after finishing 3rd on the ladder.

In a league game on 16 December 2022 against the Adelaide Strikers, the Thunder were dismissed for 15 in 5.5 overs, breaking the record for both the shortest completed innings and the lowest score in one in all men's professional T20 matches. [7]

Role in the community

The MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup gives cricket players from seven cultural backgrounds the chance to experience the fun and excitement of Twenty20 cricket, whilst representing their community. The winning team from each community cricket round will represent their country in the MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup Semi Finals, with the two winners of the semi-finals playing off in a Grand Final prior to a Sydney Thunder match at Spotless Stadium.

The Thunder Bus travels around schools and cricket club in Sydney and Regional NSW, it has an interactive quiz and inflatable nets. The Thunder Bus directly engaged with 100,000 children aged between 5- 12 during this period and was seen by over 1 Million people.

Personnel

Sydney Thunder, like every other team, had a salary cap of $1 million for the first season of the Big Bash League, but in that season they spent almost half of the salary cap on the explosive opening combination of Chris Gayle and David Warner. Gayle was pursued by Perth Scorchers but he rejected an offer of $250,000 to stay with the New South Wales team. [8] [9]

Season summaries

Chart of yearly table positions for Sydney Thunder in BBL Performance Chart BBL THU.svg
Chart of yearly table positions for Sydney Thunder in BBL
Season W–L Pos. FinalsCoachCaptainMost RunsMost WicketsMost Valuable PlayerRefs
2011–12 2–58thDNQShane Duff David Warner [a] Chris Gayle – 252 Scott Coyte – 8– [10] [11]
2012–13 0–88thDNQShane Duff Chris Rogers [b] Usman Khawaja – 206 Dirk Nannes – 11– [12] [13]
2013–14 1–78thDNQ Chandika Hathurusingha Michael Hussey Michael Hussey – 258 Gurinder Sandhu – 10– [14] [15]
2014–15 2–57thDNQ Paddy Upton Michael Hussey [c] Aiden Blizzard – 258Gurinder Sandhu – 8– [16] [17]
2015–16 4–44thCPaddy UptonMichael Hussey [d] Usman Khawaja – 345 Clint McKay – 18Usman Khawaja and Shane Watson [18] [19]
2016–17 3–58thDNQPaddy UptonShane Watson [e] Kurtis Patterson – 173 Fawad Ahmed – 9 Pat Cummins [20] [21]
2017–18 4–66thDNQPaddy UptonShane WatsonShane Watson – 331Fawad Ahmed – 12Shane Watson [22] [23]
2018–19 6–76thDNQ Shane Bond Shane Watson Callum Ferguson – 442 Daniel Sams – 15Callum Ferguson [24] [25]
2019–20 6–75thCFShane BondCallum Ferguson Alex Hales – 576Daniel Sams – 30^ [f] Daniel Sams [26] [27]
2020–21 8–63rdKFShane BondCallum FergusonAlex Hales – 543* Tanveer Sangha – 21Alex Hales [28] [29]
2021–22 9–53rdKF Trevor Bayliss Usman Khawaja [g] Jason Sangha – 445Daniel Sams – 19 Sam Billings [30] [31]
2022–23 7–74thEFTrevor BaylissJason Sangha [h] Ollie Davies – 333Daniel Sams – 18 Chris Green [32] [33]
2023–24 1–78thDNQTrevor BaylissChris GreenAlex Hales – 258Daniel Sams – 12Tanveer Sangha [34] [35]
2024–25 5–33rdRUTrevor BaylissDavid WarnerDavid Warner – 405Chris Green – 12David Warner [36] [37]
Legend
DNQDid not qualifySFSemi-finalists*Led the league
EFLost the EliminatorRURunners-up^League record
KFLost the KnockoutCFLost the ChallengerCChampions

Captains

There have been 12 captains in the Thunder's history, including matches featuring an acting captain.

CaptainSpanMWonLostTiedNRW–L%
David Warner 2011–2514840266.67
Daniel Smith 2011–126150016.67
Chris Rogers 2012606000
Chris Gayle 2013202000
Michael Hussey 2013–16239140039.13
Chris Hartley 2015201010
Shane Watson 2016–193113170143.33
Ben Rohrer 2016202000
Callum Ferguson 2019–213216150151.61
Chris Green 2021–243213170243.33
Jason Sangha 20226330050
Usman Khawaja 20222110050

Home grounds

VenueGames hosted by season
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 Total
Accor Stadium 4442000000000014
ENGIE Stadium 0002444550353540
Lavington Sports Ground 000000000001001
Manuka Oval 0000001227222119

Current squad

The squad of the Sydney Thunder for the 2025–26 Big Bash League season as of 6 August 2025. [38] [39]

No.NameNat.Birth DateBatting StyleBowling StyleAdditional Info.
Batters
1 Cameron Bancroft Flag of Australia (converted).svg 19 November 1992Right-handedRight-arm fast
9 Ollie Davies Flag of Australia (converted).svg 15 October 2000Right-handedRight-arm off break
5 Sam Konstas Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2 October 2005Right-handedRight-arm leg spin
45 Blake Nikitaras Flag of Australia (converted).svg 29 April 2000Left-handedLeft-arm medium
31 David Warner Flag of Australia (converted).svg 27 October 1986Left-handedRight-arm medium Captain
All-rounders
93 Chris Green Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1 October 1993Right-handedRight-arm off spin
29 Shadab Khan Flag of Pakistan.svg 4 October 1998Right-handedRight-arm leg spin Overseas Draft Pick (Platinum)
44 Nathan McAndrew Flag of Australia (converted).svg 14 July 1993Right-handedRight-arm fast
95 Daniel Sams Flag of Australia (converted).svg 27 October 1992Right-handedLeft-arm fast
Wicket-keepers
77 Sam Billings Flag of England.svg 15 June 1991Right-handed—Overseas Draft Pick (Gold)
22 Matthew Gilkes Flag of Australia (converted).svg 21 August 1999Left-handed—
Bowlers
8 Wes Agar Flag of Australia (converted).svg 5 February 1997Right-handedRight-arm fast
54 Tom Andrews Flag of Australia (converted).svg 7 October 1994Left-handed Left-arm orthodox
69 Lockie Ferguson Flag of New Zealand.svg 13 June 1991Right-handedRight-arm fast Overseas Draft Pick (Platinum)
34 Ryan Hadley Flag of Australia (converted).svg 17 November 1998Right-handedRight-arm fast
17 Tanveer Sangha Flag of Australia (converted).svg 26 November 2001Right-handedRight-arm leg spin

Players

Australian representatives

Flag of Australia (converted).svg The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Thunder after making their debut in the national men's team (the period they spent as both a Thunder squad member and an Australian-capped player is in brackets):

Overseas marquees

Honours

Statistics and Awards

Team Stats

Big Bash League:

Opposition M WonLostTied NR W–L%
Adelaide Strikers 2410120245.45
Brisbane Heat 227140133.33
Hobart Hurricanes 238140136.36
Melbourne Renegades 198100144.44
Melbourne Stars 2212100054.55
Perth Scorchers 201190055
Sydney Sixers 288180230.77
Total15864870742.38

Source: [40]

Individual Stats

Source: [40]

Individual Awards

Sydney Smash

When the league began in 2011, Cricket Australia decided they would place two teams in Sydney. With the core group of players for both sides coming from the New South Wales cricket team, this rivalry automatically becomes widely anticipated in the city.[ citation needed ] In the first four seasons of the league the Thunder lost all seven Sydney derby games to the Sydney Sixers.

List of Sydney Smash Matches

DateWinnerMarginVenueAttendance Player of the match
8 January 2012Sixers17 Runs (D/L) [41] ANZ Stadium 31,262 Mitchell Starc
8 December 2012Sixers7 wickets [42] SCG 15,279 Brad Haddin
30 December 2012Sixers4 wickets [43] ANZ Stadium 20,986 Daniel Hughes
21 December 2013Sixers6 wickets [44] SCG 18,180 Nic Maddinson
25 January 2014Sixers8 wickets [45] ANZ Stadium 25,726 Nathan Lyon
27 December 2014Sixers16 runs [46] ANZ Stadium 32,823 Aiden Blizzard
22 January 2015Sixers4 wickets [47] SCG 36,487 Jordan Silk
17 December 2015Thunder36 runs [48] Spotless Stadium 18,287 Michael Hussey
16 January 2016Thunder46 runs [49] SCG 38,456 Shane Watson
20 December 2016Sixers9 wickets [50] Spotless Stadium 21,798 Moises Henriques
14 January 2017Thunder8 wickets [51] SCG 39,756 Fawad Ahmed
19 December 2017Thunder5 wickets [52] Spotless Stadium 21,589 Shane Watson
13 January 2018Sixers8 wickets [53] SCG 36,458 Chris Green
24 December 2018Thunder21 runs [54] Spotless Stadium 10,508 Jos Buttler
2 February 2019Sixers9 wickets [55] (D/L) SCG 34,385 Sean Abbott
28 December 2019SixersSuper Over [56] SCG 35,296 Tom Curran
18 January 2020Thunder4 runs [57] (D/L) Giants Stadium 15,476 Chris Morris
13 January 2021Sixers5 wickets [58] (D/L) Manuka Oval Steve O'Keefe
21 January 2021Thunder46 runs [59] Adelaide Oval Alex Hales
26 December 2021Sixers30 runs [60] (D/L) Sydney Showground Stadium Dan Christian
15 January 2022Sixers60 runs [61] Sydney Cricket Ground Steve O'Keefe
8 January 2023Sixers7 wickets Sydney Showground Stadium Sean Abbott
21 January 2023Sixers125 runs Sydney Cricket Ground Steve Smith

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Daniel Smith stood in as acting captain for six games.
  2. ↑ Chris Gayle stood in as acting captain for two games.
  3. ↑ Chris Hartley stood in as acting captain for two games.
  4. ↑ Shane Watson stood in as acting captain for one game.
  5. ↑ Ben Rohrer stood in as acting captain for two games.
  6. ↑ Tied with Peter Siddle who also took 30 wickets in BBL|11.
  7. ↑ Chris Green and Jason Sangha stood in as acting captain for ten and three games respectively.
  8. ↑ Chris Green stood in as acting captain for 12 games.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sydney Thunder Announce Spotless Stadium As New Home Ground". Sydney Thunder. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 Wu, Andrew (15 March 2011). "Sydney Thunder to clash with Sixers in Big Bash". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  3. ↑ "New Twenty20 Big Bash league to feature teams in pink, orange and purple as tradition is abandoned". Fox Sports (Australia) . 6 April 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  4. ↑ "BBL team names and colours". 6 April 2011. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  5. ↑ WATSON REPLACES FUSSEY AS THUNDER CAPTAIN
  6. ↑ Watson to skipper Thunder
  7. ↑ Lavalette, Tristan (16 December 2022). "15 all out! Thunder sink to record low as Strikers soar to 124-run win". ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "Chris Gayle signs for Sydney Thunder in Big Bash League". Herald Sun. 30 June 2011.
  9. ↑ GAYLE JOINS WARNER AT THUNDER Bigbash.com.au. Archived 5 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2011/12 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2011/12 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  12. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2012/13 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  13. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2012/13 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  14. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2013/14 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  15. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2013/14 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  16. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2014/15 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  17. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2014/15 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  18. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2014/15 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  19. ↑ "State award winners announced". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  20. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2016/17 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  21. ↑ "Cowan, Healy take out NSW awards". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  22. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2017/18 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  23. ↑ "Perry, Marsh take out major state gongs". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  24. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2018/19 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  25. ↑ "All the state and BBL awards winners". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  26. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2019/20 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  27. ↑ "All 2019-20 state and Big Bash awards winners". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  28. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2020/21 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  29. ↑ "2020-21 State awards wrap: All the winners". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  30. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2021/22 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  31. ↑ "State-by-State: 2021-22 Player Awards". Australian Cricketers' Association. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  32. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2022/23 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  33. ↑ "State awards wrap 2022-23: All the winners". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  34. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2023/24 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  35. ↑ "State awards wrap 2023-24: All the winners". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  36. ↑ "Big Bash League, 2024/25 - Stats and Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  37. ↑ "State awards wrap 2024-25: All the winners". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  38. ↑ "Full squads: How each club's list is shaping up for BBL|15". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  39. ↑ "Sydney Thunder - BBL Players". sydneythunder.com.au. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  40. 1 2 "Big Bash League Records - Cricket's Remarkable Feats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  41. ↑ Scorecard
  42. ↑ Scorecard.
  43. ↑ Scorecard.
  44. ↑ Scorecard.
  45. ↑ Scorecard.
  46. ↑ Scorecard.
  47. ↑ Scorecard.
  48. ↑ Scorecard.
  49. ↑ Scorecard.
  50. ↑ Scorecard.
  51. ↑ Scorecard.
  52. ↑ Scorecard.
  53. ↑ Scorecard.
  54. ↑ Scorecard.
  55. ↑ Scorecard.
  56. ↑ Scorecard.
  57. ↑ Scorecard.
  58. ↑ Scorecard.
  59. ↑ Scorecard.
  60. ↑ Scorecard.
  61. ↑ Scorecard.
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