Hussey starts new role with the Thunder

Former Sydney Thunder captain Mike Hussey has wasted little time easing into his new role as Director of Cricket, revealing his first new signing.

Hussey, the former Australia batsman who steered the Thunder to their first ever BBL title last summer, was named as the club's first ever Director of Cricket on Friday.

And his first order of business was to confirm the signing on a two-year contract of 20-year old batsman Ryan Gibson, who Hussey got to see up close on the Thunder's pre-season tour of New Zealand late last year.

"We don’t just want good players but good characters and Ryan comes across as a good young kid who is keen to learn," Hussey said.

"He’s a great fit for Thunder and hopefully it’s a great experience for him too.

"I got to watch him pretty close in New Zealand during our pre-season tour and see how he applies himself.

"We’re keen to have him apart of the club not just for the short term but hopefully for the long term."

Gibson, who plays for Sydney Grade club Campbelltown-Camden, became only the second player in the competition's history to score back-to-back double centuries and equalled Sir Donald Bradman’s achievement of breaking his club record for highest score three times.

Hussey retired following BBL|05, with the club's first ever BBL title the perfect way to bow out.

"I was obviously very keen to stay involved with the Thunder," he said.

"We’ve made a lot of good strides in building the club, but it’s still a working progress and we want to build towards sustained success.

"I think it’s important to have a good philosophy at a club and the personnel around it.

"I’m still very close to the game and I feel like I have a good handle on what you need to have in a good team."

Hussey, meanwhile, may be about to make another big signing announcement, with News Ltd reporting West Indian allrounder Andre Russell is close to signing a new deal.

The Jamaican was a key player in the Thunder's title-winning run last summer and will be a crucial factor for the Windies in the World T20 final against India on Sunday night.

News Ltd is also reporting that allrounder Shane Watson, who announced his international retirement this month, will take over from Hussey as Thunder captain.

Hussey has just finished an assistant coach role with Australia at the World T20 in India and said last week that while he's interested in coaching, he's not ready for a full-time role just yet.

Quick Single: Hussey reflects on coaching stint

"I’m already interested in it (coaching), definitely, but I’m not sure I’m keen to be in it in a full-time capacity because if you’re with an international team you’re pretty much on the road for 10 months a year and that’s certainly one of the reasons why I retired," Hussey said.

"It’s certainly not something that I’m in the short term looking to get back into on a full-time basis, but perhaps down in the future and certainly coming in as a consultant type and helping out for a few weeks here or there, is something that’s really interesting."

"I’ve really enjoyed it, being back around the team and I’ve done a lot of observing and asked a lot of questions I guess, just trying to learn as much as I can again off the coaches and just obviously try and offer as many of my experiences to the players as well and observations."