Sydney Thunder – Preview

BBL10 was one of the best seasons for Sydney Thunder. They finished third on the point table and had a fantastic run in the tournament. Looking at the performance from their previous season, it will be difficult to beat the Thunder this year as well. They are one of the teams who are expected to win the tournament this year. Their squad has not gone through some big changes and they have almost the same squad as last year. It will be interesting to see how will Sydney Thunder compete in the tournament. Here’s our free cricket betting tips prediction. Do check it here.

Sydney Thunder – 2020-21 Performance

Unfortunately, Sydney Thunder lost in the knockout against Brisbane Heat and finished third in the tournament. Alex Hales turned out to be a superstar for the team He has already scored more than 1000 runs in the last two seasons with Sydney Thunder. There were some speculations recently on his availability after a controversy but it has all been managed now and he is all set to perform with the team again.

In the last season, Sydney Thunder was very close to repeating the history of BBL5 and winning the trophy again but missed it unluckily. This year, they will be eying to make their mark again on the tournament and win the trophy of BBL11.

Sydney Thunder – Changes from Last Season

The team has not done many changes this year. One of the major changes is that Callum Ferguson is no more the leader of the team and he was released last season from the team. Usman Khawaja will be the new skipper for the Thunder. Another major change for Thunder is in their coaching department. Shane Bond is replaced by Trevor Bayliss. This year it also looks like Sydney Thunder will be giving more opportunity to their young guns. Ollie Davies will be a good option to start with.

Hales primed for PSL | Sydney Thunder - BBL

Batting

Sydney Thunder has a variety of options for their batting lineup. They will be expecting Alex Hales to repeat his last year performance. Hales scored more runs than any other batsmen in the tournament. He was also responsible to hit the most number of sixes in the tournament. With a strike rate of 161.60, he scored 543 runs, which included the fastest century as well. Ben Cutting will be another batter who can take the responsibility to score big runs. He comes across as the best option for the team against pace attack.

Interestingly, after the departure of Callum Ferguson, the team is left with very few number options for middle-order batting. Sydney Thunder will have to focus and fill the void soon. Sam Billings can be a good option but as he already comes at No. 4 or maybe Alex Ross who comes at No. 5.

Bowling

Chris Tremain, Nathan McAndrew, and Brendan Doggett will handle the pace attack for the team. The three domestic players have to carry a good experience to play on the local pitches. Sydney Thunder has also signed Saqib Mahmood, who can be very useful in the middle overs. He carries impressive experience in white-ball format. Jono Cook will be responsible for the spin attack. Although he has just played 3 matches in his last season with the team. Tanveer Sangha was the hero of the last season for the team. They both provide the required variation in the middle overs to lower down the run rate of the opposition.  Here’s quick guide for BBL match schedule.

Problem Areas

Sydney Thunder on papers is a very strong team. On the field, however, they have a few issues. They will be struggling in their spin attack. Both Cook and Sangha are not experienced to handle the pressure of important matches. To use both or any one of them will be a big risk and an experiment for the whole team. Usman Khawaja will be leading the team this year. If things won’t work out, they will be missing Ferguson for sure. Sydney Thunder is still lacking a strong middle-order batter who can be trusted to act as a finisher.

Usman Khawaja to lead Sydney Thunder in BBL 2021-22

Sydney Thunder – Squad

  • Usman Khawaja
  • Sam Billings
  • Jonathan Cook
  • Ben Cutting
  • Ollie Davies
  • Brendan Doggett
  • Matthew Gilkes
  • Chris Green
  • Alex Hales
  • Baxter Holt
  • Saqib Mahmood
  • Nathan McAndrew
  • Alex Ross
  • Daniel Sams
  • Jason Sangha
  • Tanveer Sangha
  • Chris Tremain

Possible starting XI:

  • Alex Hales
  • Usman Khawaja
  • Ollie Davies
  • Sam Billings
  • Alex Ross
  • Ben Cutting
  • Daniel Sams
  • Chris Green
  • Nathan McAndrew
  • Saqib Mahmood
  • Tanveer Sangha

Sydney Thunder Coach: Trevor Bayliss

Top Batsman: Alex Hales

Top Bowler: Tanveer Sangha

Share this post!