Joel Moss
Stadium Australia’s Summer of Sport just got bigger with confirmation that South African superstar Jacques Kallis will make his T20 BBL debut for the Sydney Thunder on Sunday 21 December – one of two Thunder games scheduled for the Olympic venue before the New Year.
Kallis – one of word cricket’s greatest allrounders – will take on the Brisbane Heat in round one before turning his attention to the fiercely contested Sydney derby against cross-city rivals, the Sydney Sixers, in round two on Saturday 27 December at Stadium Australia.
Kallis stole headlines when he announced he was coming to Sydney to join a star-studded Thunder squad led by skipper, “Mr Cricket” Mike Hussey, superbat Dave Warner and England marvel, Eoin Morgan, in forging a multi-nation contingent within the team.
The Thunder have a growing army of supporters who will justifiably have high expectations in this summer’s BBL.
Kallis’ debut and the two opening Thunder blockbusters add to an already imposing Summer of Sport schedule at Stadium Australia.
Action heats up at Stadium Australia on Sunday 9 November when Australia goes against South Africa in Sydney’s only T20 international. It will be the third and final match of a three-game series between two of cricket’s world powerhouses.
January will also feature the biggest football tournament ever staged in Australia – the AFC Asian Cup. The 16 best-performed football nations in Asia will fight it out for the right to be crowned AFC Asian Cup champions in a competition that will be attended by 500,000 football fans and watched by an extraordinary TV audience of 2.5 billion.
The AFC Asian Cup will feature 32 games of football in 23 days in five host cities, with all seven Sydney games being played at Stadium Australia, including a Socceroos Group match against Oman on Tuesday 13 January (8pm), a quarter-final, a semi-final on Australia Day that seems destined to feature the Socceroos, and the AFC Asian Cup Final on Saturday 31 January. Purchase tickets to individual matches or better yet, grab a seven-game pack to all Sydney games and follow this link: AFC Asian Cup Tickets.
The full Summer Schedule at Stadium Australia (Stadium Australia):
– Sunday, 9 November 2014 – T20 international – Australia vs South Africa
– Sunday, 21 December 2014 – BBL – Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat
– Saturday, 27 December 2014 – BBL – Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers
– Saturday, 10 January 2015 – Asian Cup – Uzbekistan v Korea DPR
– Tuesday, 13 January 2015 – Asian Cup – Australia v Oman
– Thursday, 15 January 2015 – Asian Cup – Qatar v Iran
– Monday, 19 January 2015 – Asian Cup – Qatar v Bahrain
– Friday, 23 January 2015 – Asian Cup – Quarter Final
– Monday, 26 January 2015 – Asian Cup – Semi Final
– Saturday, 31 January 2015 – Asian Cup – Final
The full Sydney Thunder Draw for BBL04:
– Sunday, 21 December 2014 vs Brisbane Heat – Stadium Australia
– Saturday, 27 December 2014 vs Sydney Sixers – Stadium Australia
– Tuesday, 30 December 2014 vs Melbourne Renegades – Etihad Stadium
– Thursday, 1 January 2015 vs Perth Scorchers – The Furnace
– Wednesday, 7 January 2015 vs Hobart Hurricanes – Spotless Stadium
– Friday, 9 January 2015 vs Sydney Sixers – SCG
– Monday, 12 January 2015 vs Adelaide Strikers – Adelaide Oval
– Saturday, 17 January 2015 vs Melbourne Stars – Spotless Stadium
*Due to commercial arrangements, Stadium Australia will be referred to by its generic name Stadium Australia for T20 cricket games and the AFC Asian Cup.
**Become an Stadium Australia Member and experience a scorching summer of sport by clicking here. (Members should be advised that separate ticketing arrangements are required for the AFC Asian Cup due to its international sporting event status).
***Why not watch Sydney’s biggest summer sporting events in style? There are corporate hospitality options. For any enquiries phone 1300 13 40 10 or visit here.
