James Conway
THE posts are down and the rollers are out as Stadium Australia prepares for a summer of T20 cricket action featuring the Sydney Thunder and the Australia v England T20 INTL blockbuster.
The Sydney Thunder – the sleeping giants of the Big Bash League – are set to take the competition by storm this summer.
Having signed three of the world’s most devastating batsmen – Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey and David Warner – the Thunder possess one of the most formidable line-ups in the competition.
The Thunder squad has a perfect balance of youth and experience and are poised to become one of the BBL’s heavyweights.
The Thunder will play all four home games at Stadium Australia:
- Fri 27 Dec v Adelaide Strikers
- Wed 1 Jan v Melbourne Stars
- Wed 8 Jan v Brisbane Heat
- Sat 25 Jan v Sydney Sixers
Clarke, Hussey and Warner are all looking forward to helping mould this promising, young Thunder squad into true title condenders.
Famous for his unforgettable switch-hit six in the first ever T20 INTL at Stadium Australia, dynamic superbat Dave Warner returns for his second stint at the Thunder franchise after he captained the side in the inaugural season back in 2011.
“It’s great to be at a team with the experience of Huss (Mike Hussey) and Pup (Michael Clarke) and then we’ve got this great group of youngsters like Gurinder Sandhu, Jason Floros, Kurtis Patterson, Daniel Hughes, Luke Doran and Chris Tremain,” Warner said.
The powerful 26-year-old enjoys the shorter boundaries of Stadium Australia, smashing an unbeaten 102 off 51 balls in his first match for the franchise.
If Warner is the brawn then skipper Michael Clarke and 79-Test veteran Mike Hussey are the brains.
Having retired from International cricket earlier in the year, Hussey is one of the biggest signings in BBL history and will add to a formidable batting line-up including skipper Michael Clarke, who has been in the form of his life over the last few years.
The Aussie skipper heaped praise on his new teammate and looks forward to a promising summer with the Thunder.
“Mike is an outstanding cricketer and a great team man and the experience and abilities as a player that Mike will bring, will be of enormous benefit to the squad of players that we have,” Clarke said.
Hussey will captain the side when Clarke is away with the Test squad.
“I’m extremely excited about joining the Sydney Thunder and having the opportunity to be part of a young, energetic side that will represent the west of Sydney with pride,” Hussey said in a statement.
“The team and the area have enormous potential and I hope that I can bring my experience to help get the best out of the side and develop the talented playing group that we have.”
The BBL preludes one of the biggest sporting events of the summer – Australia v England in a T20 INTL blockbuster at Stadium Australia, Sunday 2 February 2014.
Some of the biggest names in cricket will be on hand to unleash an assault on Stadium Australia’s shorter boundaries.
The T20 INTL will be the final game of the Ashes summer where two of sport’s fiercest rivals battle it out in the most exciting format of the game – it doesn’t get much bigger than that.
We’re all set for another massive summer of cricket at Stadium Australia.
