BBL|14 preview: Thunder set sights on fairytale rise of their own

Those at Sydney Thunder believe they've got every base covered this season to rise from the bottom of the table and take out the title in the space of 12 months.

Melbourne Renegades proved it can be done with their recent Weber WBBL title, and the Thunder will have that as motivation as they head into their season opener against Adelaide Strikers in Canberra on Tuesday night.

Their star recruit is English wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings who they signed on three-year deal with full availability. New captain David Warner also has full availability in KFC BBL|14 in a massive win for not just the Thunder but the entire competition.

Trading in Wes Agar from their first up opponents adds depth to the bowling line-up that will be led by Kiwi express quick Lockie Ferguson to start the season.

The Thunder are also stacked with young talent. Sam Konstas is fresh off a century against India in the pink-ball Prime Minister's XI match, while Tanveer Sangha has played international cricket now.

Ollie Davies is also on the cusp after representing Australia A, as is Nathan McAndrew, leaving Billings buoyant on the Thunder's chances this season.

"Over the next three years that I'll be here, there's no reason why we can't win a title, if not two, if not three," he said. "I really believe that … it's a huge reason why I've chosen the Thunder again."

Last season: Eighth (1 wins, 7 losses, 2 no result)

 

BBL|14 squad: Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings (England), Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand), Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson, Nathan McAndrew, Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), William Salzmann, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner. Signed replacement player: Blake Nikitaras

 

Marquee supplementary list: Pat Cummins

 

Ins: Wes Agar (Strikers), Sam Billings (Heat), Nic Maddinson (Renegades), Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), Ryan Hadley

 

Outs: Alex Ross (Strikers), Gurinder Sandhu (Renegades), Liam Doddrell

 

BBL|14 Draft selections: Lockie Ferguson (pick 4 – Platinum), Sam Billings (pre-signed, allocated pick 13 – Platinum), Sherfane Rutherford (pick 22 – Silver)

Season fixture

Player availability

Nic Maddinson has effectively been ruled out for the entire tournament on Sunday after breaking his finger playing grade cricket which required surgery. Maddinson, who moved back to NSW this summer, had only signed with the Thunder ahead of BBL|14 after falling out of favour at the Renegades last season when he was club captain. "Losing Nic is a tough blow. He's a quality player and an important part of our plans for BBL|14. We wish him all the best for a full recovery," Thunder general manager Trent Copeland said.

While Sam Billings is available for the entire season, overseas draft picks Lockie Ferguson and Sherfane Rutherford will be available for the Thunder first six matches before leaving to play with Desert Vipers in the UAE. Rutherford has been released from the West Indies squad that faces Bangladesh in a T20 series this week and will be available for the Thunder's first game of the season.

Squad reinforcements

NSW left-hander Blake Nikitaras has been added to the Thunder squad as cover for Maddinson who will likely miss the entire season after undergoing finger surgery. Nikitaras played two games for the Thunder in BBL|12 and has hit 382 runs at 95, with a top score of 107, for club team St George in the NSW Premier Cricket T20 competition so far this season.

Overseas recruits

Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand): The Kiwi speedster will make his Big Bash debut on Tuesday after the Thunder took the 33-year-old with their first pick in the draft. A veteran of 162 T20s, including 43 internationals, Ferguson has been used across all phases of the innings but his returns in the middle-overs stand out, collecting 46 wickets with an economy rate of 7.

Sam Billings (England): The Englishman returns to Western Sydney on a three-year deal after spending the past two seasons with Brisbane Heat, who opted for Colin Munro as their pre-draft, multi-year overseas signing. He'll likely take the gloves and slot in at No.4 where he has scored 671 runs at 30 in the BBL. Billings is the fourth highest scoring overseas batter in the competition's history with 1159 runs entering BBL|14.

Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies): Another who will be making his Big Bash debut in the Thunder's season opener against the Strikers on Tuesday. The hard-hitting pace-bowling allrounder enters BBL|14 in good form after slamming his maiden ODI century against Bangladesh last week. Rutherford is used in a 'finishing' role for West Indies T20 side and will like assume the same position in the Thunder line-up.

Possible best XIs

David Warner (c), Sam Konstas, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings (wk), Ollie Davies, Sherfane Rutherford, Daniel Sams, Chris Green, Wes Agar, Lockie Ferguson, Tanveer Sangha

 

For the first game: David Warner (c), Sam Konstas, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings (wk), Ollie Davies, Sherfane Rutherford, Daniel Sams, Chris Green, Wes Agar, Lockie Ferguson, Tanveer Sangha

Inside word with overseas recruit Sam Billings

New captain David Warner

"Any competition, not just a franchise or team, gets better with Davey in it. It's a huge boost for the BBL to have someone of his quality available for the whole season. I played with him in Dubai and got to know him pretty well as teammates as opposed to enemies on the field. He's a huge inspiration for any player who plays alongside him, and I can learn so much from him."

Joining the Thunder

"This is my seventh year in the BBL, I absolutely love this competition … it's done so much for me on and off the field. I very proud of the last two years I had at the Heat – there were obviously conversations with the pre-draft signing and they went for Colin (Munro).

"Then the opportunity came up to rejoin the Thunder; I have a natural affinity to Western Sydney, which has played a really important part in my career (having played for Premier Cricket club Penrith a decade ago and the Thunder in BBL|10 and |11). For me, locking into a project for a certain period of time is something that I really wanted … to be a central part to build something which the Thunder offered me and I couldn't turn down."

Squad unity

"I think that's really important for us as a Thunder side. We have the quality and depth; I think our list is as strong as anywhere. The experience and young players that we've got has every base covered, it's just about getting that alignment and really coming together. So that'll be a real focus for us this season … trying to get the team really bound together and moving towards common goals."

Emergence of Sam Konstas

"He went viral and kept popping up on my Instagram and YouTube or whatever so I saw a few clips of him in the nets. Obviously, I've seen what he's done since then in terms of the amount of runs he's got and the way he's done it. It's exciting whenever you see a young player like that burst onto the scene and play in the manner in which he's playing – I love it, and he'll definitely get a game."

Players to watch

"It's incredibly exciting for us to have young players like Sam Konstas, Tanveer Sangha and also Ollie Davies on the books. Those three players I'm really looking forward to making an impact for us this year – Sammy has been great, hopefully can continue that form."

Season previews: Strikers | Heat | Hurricanes | Renegades | Stars | Scorchers | Sixers | Thunder

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