Sydney Thunder will begin their BBL season without their captain David Warner, who has been ruled out of the match against the Hobart Hurricanes due to injury. With Warner unavailable, experienced all-rounder Chris Green will take over the captaincy as Thunder named a 14-player squad for the season opener.
Sydney Thunder have added young fast bowler Charlie Anderson to their squad as a Local Replacement Player. Anderson has picked up five wickets from three matches in List A cricket. The inclusion gives Thunder a youthful pace option to bolster their bowling resources for the first match of the season.
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Sydney Thunder are approaching the new season with extra motivation after losing last year’s Big Bash final against the Hobart Hurricanes. General manager Trent Copeland said that defeat is still driving the team as they look to start the campaign strongly.
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Copeland also spoke about David Warner’s absence, adding that the decision to rest him was made with the long tournament in mind. He expressed confidence that Warner will be fit for the clash later in the week.
“We try not to dwell too much on the past but last year’s loss in the Grand Final is going to act as fuel for us on Tuesday,” Trent Copeland said.
“It’s obviously not ideal to not have Davey but we’d rather be careful earlier in the tournament. I’m confident he’ll be right for our biggest game of the year, the Sydney Smash on Saturday.
“Charlie Anderson is one of the brightest young talents in the whole country, as we’ve seen with Australia A and NSW in recent times.”
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David Warner picked up an injury to his right side while spending time with his children at the beach. He has been receiving treatment and is hoping to recover in time for the match against the Sydney Sixers.
Warner was Thunder’s leading run-scorer last season with 405 runs and played a big role in helping the team reach the final. His absence in the first game is a setback, but the team does not want to take any risks early in the tournament.
With Warner unavailable, Sydney Thunder are likely to try a new opening combination. Warner had already hinted before his injury that he could move down the order this season depending on conditions.
Sam Konstas could open the batting with Cameron Bancroft, Matthew Gilkes or Blake Nikitaras against the Hobart Hurricanes. The match will take place at the Ninja Stadium in Hobart on Tuesday, December 16.
Sydney Thunder 14-member squad v Hobart Hurricanes:
Chris Green (C), Charlie Anderson, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings, Ollie Davies, Matt Gilkes, Ryan Hadley, Shadab Khan, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, Reece Topley
