The Sydney Thunder have announced they will play home games at Spotless Stadium for the next 10 years. As a Thunder fan, this is the best cricketing news all winter – that and Michael Hussey saying he will go around for one more season.
Spotless Stadium will be a massive contrast for the Thunder, their players and their fans compared to their former home venue, ANZ Stadium.
The change is a move in the right direction and could well lead to a lift in performances for a club that has struggled since the inception of the Big Bash, particularly compared to their crosstown rivals the Sydney Sixers.
The first major advantage of the move to Spotless Stadium is improved atmosphere. ANZ Stadium is giant, and when sold-out has an incredible atmosphere, however for regular Big Bash games the venue is lucky to be a quarter full, with an atmosphere that does no favours.
With Spotless’ recent expansion to a capacity of 25,000, most games should come close to selling out and it will be a much better atmosphere, spurring the team on to better performances.
Furthermore, ANZ is not ideal for watching cricket, particularly of the T20 variety. A slow pitch made life hard for batsman while uneven boundaries around the ground, due to it generally being a rugby league ground, made things even worse for fans.
While the pitch at Spotless may not be any better than ANZ, the ground itself should lead to a better spectacle for fans. And after last year’s farce of a game against the Strikers, where it was just about impossible to score a run, a 10-year commitment at Spotless should mean the pitch will be worked on to have it adequately prepared for the rigours of hosting top-level cricket.
“We believe that we have the best stadium in Australia to watch BBL cricket, and I can’t wait to see Mike and the rest of the team take the field in front of a packed house,” said Thunder general manager Nick Cummins.
Hussey has said this will be his last season, and the Thunder will look to send him out on a high.
So Roarers what do you reckon – is the move to Spotless the right one and can the Thunder send Michael Hussey out on a high in the upcoming BBL 05?
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