Sydney Thunder's Assistant Coach Dan Christian added to squad as injury rates mount
"Return to the BBL or any other T20 league was never entirely off the table for me," said Christian.
All rounder Dan Christian retired at the age of 39 from all formats of the game. He then joined Sydney Thunders as the assistant coach has the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL 2024-25) is his second stint as coach with the franchise. But the franchise has been dealing with incessant injury issues with players being left out for the same. In a move that has left the cricketing world stunned, Christian was included in the squad as a player.
Thunders will next take on Brisbane Heat on January 6 and they have announced the squad with Christian making it to the list. The franchise had to let go of three of their key players as they incurred injuries with another player, Sam Konstas was kept busy by the Australian team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Thunder General Manager, Trent Copeland, stated that the team is looking forward to the veteran’s contribution as a player.
“We’re very fortunate to have Dan already within the club. He’s a legend of the BBL and we’ve got no doubt he’s still up to the level. We can’t wait to see him jump back into this environment and make an impact,” said Copeland as quoted by Sportstar.
“I’m fully committed to my coaching role with the team and have really enjoyed working with the squad we have here at Sydney Thunder for BBL 14. I made the decision during the off-season that a return to the BBL or any other T20 league was never entirely off the table for me. I’ve been playing NSW Premier Cricket with UNSW Cricket Club, and training hard. The body feels great, and I wanted to ensure I was prepared if an opportunity arose,” Christian added.
Sams-Bancroft suffered injuries after horrific collision during BBL game
The injured players from Sydney Thunder who missed the action are Tanveer Sangha with a side strain, Jason Sangha due to an injured bicep, Daniel Sams, who is out due to a concussion and Cameron Bancroft, coping with a broken nose and fractured shoulder. Notably, the injuries sustained by Sams and Bancroft happened during their recent BBL game where they collided in a horrific manner while fielding for their side.
Sydney Thunder Squad vs Brisbane Heat (Monday):
David Warner (C), Wes Agar, Tom Andrews, Sam Billings, Dan Christian, Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Gilkes, Toby Gray, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Blake Nikitaras, Sherfane Rutherford, Hugh Weibgen.
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