There’s only a few days before the start of the third instalment of the Big Bash League and a hopefully successful campaign for last season’s wooden-spooners, Sydney Thunder.
The Thunder has gone through a number of changes through the off-season to drop the last place tag that they have held for the first two seasons.
The changes started at the top with a new general manager, coach and key signings, and the replacements in the roster already have the Thunder looking more competitive.
But to fully understand why the Thunder didn’t dominate in the first two seasons, an examination of the stats and the roster will show us why this year’s team is much more capable of fixing those areas.
In the first instalment of the Big Bash, the Thunder team grabbed just two victories and the team was built around the powerful big-hitting duo of David Warner and Chris Gayle.
Warner grabbed a ton in his first and only game for the Thunder in the first-round victory against Melbourne Stars and Gayle plundered his way to a century at home against Adelaide in Round 2.
Thunder payed over $1m for the star duo who both pulled their weight and both won games for the team.
But with not much money left, the team was then constructed with youth and players who were like bits and bobs in a mechanic’s toolbox.
In the first season the Thunder’s overall batting average per player was 16, the bowling average per player was 30 and an average total of 130.8.
If you place these stats in comparison to the Sydney Sixers, who won BBL01, you understand where the Thunder went wrong.
The Sixers have an overall batting average per player of 18, an overall bowling average per player of 28 and an average team total of 157.8.
Although you may think that the only big difference between the teams in the first season was the average team total it’s also the slight differences between the batting and bowling.
That extra two runs higher in the batting average shows us that even without looking at their entire squad that the Sixers were able to bat down the order and the two less in the bowling average is a tell that they could take wickets at a more regular pace.
Season two was an utter disaster for the Thunder. Dwindling crowd numbers and a winless season relegated the Thunder to wooden spooners and it was mainly down to the players in the squad.
The first problem was a large amount was spent in a marketing ploy by signing Michael Clarke to play, which he never did.
Although Clarke is one of Australia’s best cricketers, it was a complete waste.
Chris Rogers was signed to captain the side, another monumental failure. He showed he didn’t have the mindset to captain Twenty20 games and was unable to lead from the front with the bat, scoring 87 runs at an average of 14.50.
There were more disappointments; Gayle failed to flourish again, having his worst domestic T20 season in Australia.
Matt Prior and Azhar Mahoomad both were wastes of international players, and young players who showed immense promise, such Luke Doran, were discarded for others, in this case Adam Zampa, a player who was touted as the next Shane Warne but didn’t deliver.
Yet in all the doom and gloom of the season, there were some bright lights.
Big, fast Gurinder Sandhu, Dirk Nannes and Usman Khawaja all had breakout years and became the new stars of Sydney’s west.
The third season is where it is going to all turn around for the men in green. Thunder have bolstered their squad and not with players who are the left overs or spare parts but players with designated roles to fufil, from a toolbox to cogs in a watch.
The players who have been moved on have had their positions filled by more than capable replacements.
Gayle, the superstar of T20 Cricket, has left and has been replaced by non other than ‘Mr Cricket’ himself, Mike Hussey.
The internationals are of a much better quality with Eoin Morgan, Chris Woakes, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Ajantha Mendis are all of a high standard and will add a higher quality to the side.
Already established players such as Khawaja and Nannes will be supported by up and comers like the impressive Sandhu and the young batting of Daniel Hughes and Kurtis Patterson.
A player who will be used in a much bigger role this year is Doran, who will be needed to help in the spin department, and I am one who would love to see his re-emergence from the wilderness.
And did I forget to mention a certain player who at the age of 16 had a better average than Michael Clarke? Yes, the young man from the Gatorade ads, Jake Doran (Luke’s younger brother) has been signed, so watch out for him!
So with an overhaul of the roster and new management I think we can all expect a more fine-tuned team to compete in the Big Bash this year.
Look for them to challenge for finals and I’m almost tipping them to go all the way, considering a large amount of the best XI won’t be drawn away on international duty.
I will be attending Sydney Thunder’s trial games this week, as all games, and will give detailed match reports.
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