Sydney Thunder Cricket Team Guide
Being amongst the 8 founding members of the Big Bash League, the Sydney Thunder are one of two franchise teams hailing from the city of Sydney in New South Wales.
Sydney Thunder Cricket Team Background
The Sydney Thunder were founded back in 2011 replacing the New South Wales Blues who previously played in the defunct Twenty20 BIg Bash. The lime green colour of the jerseys which has become synonymous with the side over the years was actually chosen to stand out from other sports teams in the same city.
Where Does Sydney Thunder Play?
Able to hold 22,000 spectators, the Sydney Showground Stadium is the homeground of the Sydney Thunder. This ground wasn’t always their home though, with Stadium Australia in the Olympic Park being their home between 2011 and 2014. Their new ground is also multipurpose, however, it has played host to numerous internations for the Australia cricket team over the years.
Sydney Thunder Players
There have been a number of notable Aussies who have taken to the pitch for the Sydney Thunder since 2011, with batters Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson and Shane Watson being some of the best. The bowling department hasn’t been short of impressive bowlers either, with Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu and Chris Green all recording multi wicket hauls for the Thunder.
A wide number of big name overseas players have also been part of the Sydney Thunder franchise, with West Indies cricket team icon Chris Gayle arguably being the most recognisable. He actually took up a quarter of the team’s salary cap after being signed. Alex Hales of the England cricket team and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis are two other significant overseas signings for the Thunder too!
Memorable Games For The Sydney Thunder Cricket Team
Although the first 3 editions of the Big Bash League saw the Sydney Thunder finish last place, and the 4th seeing them finish just one place higher in 7th, their 5th time in the competition would be a complete turnaround for the sides fortunes. After winning 4 of their 8 games, the New South Wales side finished in 4th place, progressing to the play off phase.
In the semi finals, they would travel to South Australia to face off against the Adelaide Strikers. Batting first, the home side would manage to record 159 runs from their 20 overs, however, impressive bowling for Clint McKay saw him record 3 wickets. This form was hard matched by the Adelaide side as the Sydney Thunder took to the crease, with them only managing two wickets. Usman Khawaja would record a century not out from just 59 balls, with the Thunder winning by 8 wickets with just over 2 overs spare.
Following on from this dominating performance, the Sydney Thunder would travel to Victoria to face off against the Melbourne Stars in the final. Winning the toss, the away side chose to field first, with the Thunder limiting their opposition to a respectable 176/9 scoreline. Although this initially seemed like a high score to chase, this did not deter the Sydney Thunder, with Usman Khawaja once again putting in an impressive stint at the crease, scoring 70 runs from 40 balls. Despite Aussie Marcus Stoinis managing to take 3 wickets, the Thunder batters remained consistent, managing to beat the high target by 2 runs with just 3 balls remaining in the final over. This was a historic win for the side, being their first Big Bash League title after 4 years of un-notoriety.
Rivals Of The Sydney Thunder Cricket Team
As should come as no surprise considering they come from the same city, the Sydney Sixers are the main rivals of the Sydney Thunder. These two sides have had their fair share of highly competitive matchups over the seasons, with the fans looking forward to this fixture each year.
