BBL 10: Sydney Thunder Team Preview, Squad And Fantasy Cheat Sheet For Big Bash League 2020-21 Season

A profound look into the signings, team news and players availability of the Sydney Thunder for the 2020 Big Bash League along with a fantasy cheat sheet providing the fantasy potential of the Sydney Thunder players. Coach: S Bond Captain: C Ferguson BBL 09 Finish: Eliminator (3rd place) Sydney Thunder (BBL 10) – Off-Season […]
 
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BBL 10: Sydney Thunder Team Preview, Squad And Fantasy Cheat Sheet For Big Bash League 2020-21 Season

A profound look into the signings, team news and players availability of the Sydney Thunder for the 2020 Big Bash League along with a fantasy cheat sheet providing the fantasy potential of the Sydney Thunder players.

Coach: S Bond
Captain: C Ferguson
BBL 09 Finish: Eliminator (3rd place)

BBL 10: Sydney Thunder Team Preview, Squad And Fantasy Cheat Sheet For Big Bash League 2020-21 Season

 

Sydney Thunder (BBL 10) – Off-Season Signings/Trades

Sydney Thunder under Shane Bond finished at the 3rd position last year after losing to the Melbourne Stars in the Eliminator. They haven’t made any sweeping changes to the squad this year since S Bond believes in keeping the core together, a concept he has borrowed from the Mumbai Indians – the IPL side where he works as a bowling coach. They’ve signed A Milne, the Kiwi fast bowler as a replacement for C Morris and have also brought in S Billings to cover the third overseas spot in the line-up. The key signing this year was the acquisition of B Cutting from the Heat, who will provide the much-needed firepower for the Thunder during the death-overs who were awful in that period last year averaging 12.7 runs per wicket striking at a mediocre strike-rate of 141.64. Cutting will also provide some value with the ball for them. Another notable inclusion is the young exciting batsman Baxter Holt, who has recovered from a career-threatening back injury. Their first eleven looks solid and apart from S Billings every one of them is available for the whole tournament. Overall they’ve kept the core intact like they’ve planned while bringing in some new valuable additions.

BBL 10: Sydney Thunder Team Preview, Squad And Fantasy Cheat Sheet For Big Bash League 2020-21 Season

Sydney Thunder (BBL 10) – Talking Points

Will Daniel Sams international form affect him in the BBL?

Daniel Sams international and IPL call-up came on the back of two spectacular seasons with the ball in the Big Bash picking 15 and 30 wickets in 2018 and 2019 respectively. The 30 wicket tournament haul in 2019 is a BBL record, but he clearly struggled with the step up in quality at the IPL and the international level with batsmen powerful enough to thrash his slower balls. He has bowled a total of 17.4 overs and conceded runs at an alarming rate of 10.6 managing to pick a sole wicket. While his slower ball variations would still work at the BBL level whether his confidence had taken a beating remains a question.

 

Sydney Thunder (BBL 10) – Fantasy Cheat Sheet

Cash Cows:

A Hales – In his comeback season at the Big Bash last year, A Hales notched up 576 runs, the second-highest in the tournament at an average of 38.4 striking at a stunning rate of 146.94. There’s a bit of concern over his recent form after some average showings in the T20 Blast earlier this year, but expect him to brush away all of those concerns.

 

Sydney Thunder (BBL 10) – Value for Money Picks 

S Billings – He’s in great touch recently and will slot at the No.4 position for Thunder, a position which he himself requested. He should do well with his proficiency against spin and the only concern is him missing the first three games.

U Khawaja – He’s is in good nick, got no national duty and is available all through the tournament. Even at his worst, he ended up with 388 runs last season.

A Milne – He’s coming off an injury break and by the talks of S Bond, he’s going to be the go-to bowler for the Thunder. His T20 record makes for good reading as he always performed well whenever he’s not down with injuries.

 ALSO READ: Melbourne Stars Preview

Sydney Thunder (BBL 10) – Risky Ones

C Ferguson – The Sydney Thunder captain is all set to continue in his No.3 position ahead of this year’s BBL. He’s not in great form managing to score only a sole 97 along with some low scores in this year’s Sheffield Shield cricket. Age is also not on his side with him hovering in the late 30s.

C Green – This will be the first season for him at the BBL after being reported for chucking last year. He had a decent CPL but the pitches there were dustbowls, so can’t really judge him based on that.

A Ross – With S Billings confirmed to take the No.4 spot, Ross is the most likely one to drop down the order which completely affects his fantasy potential.

D Sams – As discussed earlier, it’s best to wait and watch how he delivers with the ball this season.

 

Sydney Thunder (BBL 10) Differential Picks

B Cutting – He has made a switch from the Heat to the Thunder and provides dual value with both bat and ball. He’s the one most likely to exploit the Power Surge rule in the Thunder’s batting unit which boosts his fantasy value further.

 

Sydney Thunder (BBL 10) – Bargain Buys 

A Nair – He’s a bit of this and a bit of that, but can really step up if Chris Green becomes ineffective through the season.

B Doggett, C Tremain and N McAndrew – It’s likely to be a toss-up between these three for the remaining fast bowler’s slot and the order of preference is the same as this.

 

Sydney Thunder (BBL 10) – Cheapies 

The likes of B Holt, M Gilkes and J Sangha will surely get their chances at some point in the tournament and are easier to acquire due to their credentials.