Photo Credit: Sydney Thunder
Ollie Davies commits for next three BBL seasons
Sydney Thunder has secured exciting young gun Ollie Davies for the next three KFC BBL campaigns.
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After a stunning debut season that saw the 20-year-old hit five straight sixes in just his second Big Bash match, Thunder fans will now get the opportunity to see how that talent develops in lime green over the next three years.
His five consecutive sixes against the Melbourne Renegades at Canberra’s Manuka Oval instantly grabbed the attention of many pundits, especially the flare and freedom with which Davies played.
The immense potential that had seen him dominate underage cricket was there for all to see.
“I am stoked, to be offered three years with the Thunder is quite cool,” Davies said.
It gives Davies the security not too many players are afforded at the same stage of their careers, he said.
“(I can go out there and) play my game, play with freedom and not worry about losing my contract. I’ve got that security there to go out and play the way I want to play.”
He joins an exciting group of players to have already committed to the Thunder for BBL|11 including Usman Khawaja, Chris Green, Daniel Sams and fellow rising star Tanveer Sangha, who also debuted last season finishing as the club’s leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps.
Added to that, Davies will be working with a World Cup winning coach in Thunder’s new head coach Trevor Bayliss.
“I’m really looking forward to it, it’s going to be very exciting, and I hope that I can learn a lot off him. That’s the main aim,” Davies said.
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Bayliss said it was great to have young, up-and-coming talent from NSW stay in the state to pursue their Big Bash careers.
“According to a lot of people, he’s got a bright future,” Bayliss said.
“From what I did see last year, he’s obviously a good striker of the cricket ball and I’m looking forward to working closely with him over these next three years.”
Davies, who lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and is an avid surfer, played eight matches during BBL|10 and made his One-Day debut for NSW scoring an impressive 57 from 41 balls against Victoria in that maiden match.
That experience made Davies truly appreciate what was required to perform at the elite level.
“For me, the big thing was knowing that I can’t just go out there and score runs, I can’t just go out there and bat, I actually have to go out there with a plan and know what I’m going to do, know what the bowlers are going to do and actually study that,” he said.
“You’re playing against some of the best players in the world and best players in Australia, you just can’t go out there and score runs every game.”
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Sydney Thunder BBL Squad
Head Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Assistant Coach: Shawn Bradstreet
Contracted for BBL|11: Jonathan Cook, Ben Cutting, Ollie Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, Chris Tremain
Sydney Thunder BBL|11 Fixtures (All AEDT Start Times)
Mon 6 Dec | Vs Brisbane Heat | 7:15pm | Manuka Oval
Fri 10 Dec | Vs Melbourne Stars | 7:15pm | MCG
Sun 12 Dec | Vs Melbourne Stars | 7:15pm | Sydney Showground Stadium
Sun 19 Dec | Vs Brisbane Heat | 7:40pm | Gabba
Sun 26 Dec | Vs Sydney Sixers | 6:05pm | Sydney Showground Stadium
Tues 28 Dec | Vs Perth Scorchers | 7:15pm | Manuka Oval
Fri 31 Dec | Vs Adelaide Strikers | 7:15pm | Adelaide Oval
Sun 2 Jan | Vs Adelaide Strikers | 7:15pm | Sydney Showground Stadium
Wed 5 Jan | Vs Perth Scorchers | 9:15pm | Optus Stadium
Sat 8 Jan | Vs Melbourne Renegades | 6:05pm | Marvel Stadium
Mon 10 Jan | Vs Hobart Hurricanes | 7:15pm | University of Tasmania Stadium
Thurs 13 Jan | Vs Hobart Hurricanes | 4:00pm | Sydney Showground Stadium
Sat 15 Jan | Vs Brisbane Heat | 7:40pm | SCG
Wed 19 Jan | Vs Melbourne Renegades | 4:40pm | Sydney Showground Stadium
Click here to sync the fixtures to your e-cal.
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.
