Photo Credit: Sydney Thunder
Square-ups, old rivalries, and a healthy dose of professional pride will set the tone for an explosive brand of cricket when Sydney Thunder stages its inaugural Celebrity Smash at Sydney Showground Stadium on January 8.
The star-studded match between the Thor VIII and Storm VIII (the teams are named in honour of the club’s much-loved mascots) is the curtain-raiser for the KFC BBL’s fiercest grudge match – the Thunder-Sixers Sydney Smash presented by SIXT!
Some of Australia’s most popular athletes and media personalities will lock horns on the hallowed Sydney Showground Stadium, Thunder’s home ground which has hosted over the years such club legends as Michael Hussey, Alex Blackwell, Shane Watson, Rachael Haynes, Alex Hales, Heather Knight, and Chris Green.
Thunder’s panel of selectors has picked players who are certain to mark out their bowling run-up and take strike at the crease with a commitment to entertain the crowd – and earn bragging rights over the player they’ve been pitted against.
The Sydney Thunder Celebrity Smash matchups include:
• Former unified world boxing champion George ‘Ferocious’ Kambosos taking on 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Harry Garside
• Bradley Clyde, the Man of the Match for the Canberra Raiders in the 1989 rugby league grand final packing down against his old Balmain foe from that match, Paul ‘Siro’ Sironen
• Widely respected cricket commentators Erin Holland, from Seven, putting the microphone aside to take on Fox’s Megan Barnard
• Cricket NSW chief executive, Lee Germon, a New Zealand international cricketer, leading the battle of the boardrooms against the state’s Premier – and keen sportsman – Dominic Perrottet
• Sydney Thunder’s WBBL stars Phoebe Litchfield and Hannah Darlington teaming up to take on Sammy-Jo Johnson and Tahlia Wilson
• Melbourne Storm’s Ryan Papenhuyzen – a Thunder fanatic – backing his sidestep against former Test pace ace Doug Bollinger’s bouncers.
Sydney Thunder will announce the last players for each team during the countdown to the match. The Thor and Storm teams will consist of eight players each. Every player will bowl an over, while batting partnerships will last for two overs. No batter gets out, but each ‘dismissal’ will cost their team five runs.
Throughout the match there will be roving interviews, while there’ll be plenty of opportunities for fans to get selfies/autographs.
Thor VIII: Harry Garside, Lee Germon, Bradley Clyde, Megan Barnard, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Phoebe Litchfield, Hannah Darlington.
Storm VIII: George Kambosos, Dominic Perrottet, Paul Sironen, Erin Holland, Doug Bollinger, Tahlia Wilson, Sammy-Jo Johnson.
Sydney Thunder BBL|12 Home Fixtures
Tue 13 Dec | Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Stars | Manuka Oval | 7:15pm
Fri 16 Dec | Sydney Thunder v Adelaide Strikers | Sydney Showground Stadium | 8:15pm
Tue 27 Dec | Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat | Sydney Showground Stadium | 7:15pm
Sat 31 Dec | Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes | Lavington Sports Ground | 3:30pm
Sun 8 Jan | Sydney Thunder v Sydney Sixers | Sydney Showground Stadium | 7:15pm
Fri 13 Jan | Sydney Thunder v Perth Scorchers | Sydney Showground Stadium | 6:30pm
Thu 19 Jan | Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Renegades | Manuka Oval | 7:15pm
Name of Author: Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder is an Australian professional cricket team competing in the Big Bash League (BBL). Based at Sydney Showground Stadium, the Thunder, along with the Sydney Sixers, succeeded the New South Wales Blues from the defunct KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.
