Photo Credit: Sydney Thunder
Big-hitting Englishman Alex Hales set to return for a third summer in green
Sydney Thunder have taken a giant step towards a second KFC BBL title with news superstar batter Alex Hales is returning to the Thunder Nation for BBL|11.
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The BBL’s leading scorer last summer with 543 runs, piled on at a strike rate of over 161, has amassed 1119 runs for the Thunder over the last two seasons and is a primed to lead the pride of Western Sydney to the finals for a third straight season.
The three-format England international is on record as stating he believes Thunder are building towards a BBL title and that was a huge motivation in returning for a third season in lime green.
“The culture at Sydney Thunder, both on and off the field, is something special and I am excited to have the opportunity to be a part of it again,” Hales said.
“Being part of this club means a lot to me, and to our members and fans and you can tell that when you go out to play.
“Over the last two seasons I have seen first-hand how this franchise is putting together a squad who believes they can win the BBL and that’s the case this summer more than ever.”
A crowd favourite all over the world for his massive striking ability with the bat, Hales will again form a powerful top order combination with Usman Khawaja, but it is the opportunity to spend time in the middle with Thunder’s rising star Ollie Davies that also excites Hales.
“I love batting with Usman, we are different players but I think we compliment each other well,” Hales said.
“Being a right hand/left hand combination is always an advantage and Usman is a very calm influence under pressure and that’s very important in T20.
“For me though, I am buzzing about the chance to bat with Ollie (Davies). He is a super talent and there will be no better place to see him grow as a player than at the other end of the pitch.”
Sydney Thunder BBL Squad
Head Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Assistant Coach: Shawn Bradstreet, Chandika Hathurusinghe
Contracted for BBL|11: Jonathan Cook, Ben Cutting, Ollie Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales, Baxter Holt, Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, Chris Tremain
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.
