Stars make it unlucky 13 for Thunder

By Andrew McGarry

Updated January 09, 2013 10:44:04

Sydney Thunder's season of futility has been completed after the bottom-of-the-ladder side lost its 13th straight match by 13 runs against the Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Tuesday night.

The Stars, missing two big names in Shane Warne and Lasith Malinga, struggled to set a total before finishing on 8 for 145 off the full 20 overs.

But after star import Chris Gayle put his team in a brilliant position, the Thunder lost 9 for 70 to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory.

Paceman Dirk Nannes produced the ball of the night to dismiss dangerman Brad Hodge (39 off 26) with a ball that beat the batsman and crashed into middle stump.

The Thunder also removed David Hussey for 32 and then bowled well at the death - taking 4 for 16 in the final overs - to keep the Stars well below a par score.

Gayle - who has been under pressure to perform after a series of failures - took 2 for 5 and ran out Stars opener Luke Wright.

He then came out firing in the Thunder's innings, hoisting paceman Jackson Bird for a massive straight six over the sightscreen in the second over.

The real fireworks came two overs later, as Gayle crashed three boundaries and another big six off John Hastings to get the Thunder off to a flyer.

Gayle flayed the attack to all parts of the ground, bringing up his 50 off just 25 balls and the visitors were 1 for 59 after six overs and cruising to victory.

The Stars tightened the bowling and Bird gave his team a lift when he took a diving catch to dismiss Matt Prior for 7, leaving Sydney 2 for 62 in the eighth over.

Gayle finally went for 65 off 43 balls, holing out in the deep to Glenn Maxwell off Dimitri Mascarenhas (2 for 27).

Then Usman Khawaja fell for 23 off 18 balls, caught in the deep by Hodge off Bird (1 for 20), and the Thunder were 4 for 100 and struggling to reach the target.

The innings disintegrated from there with Sean Abbott (3), Ryan Carters (2), Mark Cosgrove (8) and Adam Zampa (8) and Luke Doran (4) as the visitors lost confidence at the end of a terrible season.

Gurinder Sandhu was last man out for 6 off James Faulkner (3 for 24) as Sydney were dismissed for 132 with two balls left.

The Thunder had been winless in seven games this Big Bash season, and the defeat now continues the franchise's 13-match streak dating back to last season.

The result means that the Stars (10 points) join the Melbourne Renegades (12) in the finals.

The remaining places will be filled by two of the Perth Scorchers, Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes, who are separated only by net run rate going into the final round of matches.

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, melbourne-3000, vic, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted January 08, 2013 23:01:08

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Heat topple hapless Thunder

Updated December 29, 2012 12:41:04

Sydney Thunder import Matt Prior insists he would never "cheat a player out" as the England wicketkeeper avoided controversy over a dubious catch in Friday's five-wicket loss to the Brisbane Heat at the Olympic stadium.

Dan Christian starred for the Heat, taking five wickets as the home side was bowled out for just 126 before the runs were chased down with 20 balls remaining.

But much of the talk post-match surrounded the dismissal of Brisbane skipper James Hopes, which sparked a loss of 4 for 31 and threatened to turn the match before Chris Lynn smashed an unbeaten 51 off 38 balls to guide the visitors to just their second win of the season.

Prior, normally a wicketkeeper, was in unfamiliar territory at wide first slip when he claimed a catch off Dirk Nannes (2 for 31), though replays suggested Hopes was unlucky as the ball appeared to hit the grass before it reached Prior.

The jovial 30-year-old admitted he cringed when replays flashed up on the big screen but insisted he'd spoken to the umpires and that it was most certainly a fair catch.

"I looked up and thought 'ooh, crikey, it doesn't look good'," Prior said afterwards.

"But I do think the cameras can sometimes make it look a little bit dodgy.

"I genuinely felt I caught it. I felt my finger underneath the ball and that's the thing you can't pick up on camera.

"I spoke to the umpire immediately and he agreed it looked absolutely fine to him. That's good enough for me."

It is not Prior's first controversial moment on Australian soil.

In 2011 he claimed Australian batsman Mitchell Johnson had been clean bowled in a one-day clash, despite knocking the bails off with his gloves.

"Ultimately you have to trust each other," he said.

"I'm not going to try and cheat someone out. That's the last thing I want to do."

Hopes queried the validity of the catch on the field before accepting Prior's word and trudging off while replays were shown on the big screen.

"He told me he caught it out there," Hopes said.

"I've been playing this game a long time where replays can be deceiving, the best judge is normally the player, and if he says he caught it, that's good enough for me.

"He's probably got his right hand under it."

The loss keeps the hapless Thunder, who slumped to their 10th defeat on the trot dating back to last season's horror show, rooted to the bottom of the ladder.

Even the free-hitting Chris Gayle, despite top-scoring, failed to reach any great heights scoring 28 at a run a ball, a relatively pedestrian rate for the man proclaimed as the best Twenty20 batsman in the world.

He put on 35 with Prior (18) before both were dismissed in Christian's first over - a massive turning point in the game.

Christian's figures of 5 for 26 are the best ever by a Heat bowler and the second-best from anyone this summer, trailing only Melbourne Stars firebrand Lasith Malinga's exceptional 6 for 7 against Perth.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sydney-2000, brisbane-4000

First posted December 28, 2012 22:19:21

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Sixers scrape home against Thunder

Updated December 31, 2012 09:18:05

The Sixers denied the Thunder their maiden win of the Big Bash League season after clinching a four-wicket triumph at the Olympic stadium.

The Sydney derby went down to the wire with the Sixers needing five runs off the final eight balls before Brett Lee reeled off consecutive fours to clinch what is only his side's second win of the competition.

The winless Thunder had earlier made 6 for 132 from their 20 overs, with Usman Khawaja posting an unbeaten 66 from 47 balls, an innings that included 11 fours.

The Sixers relied heavily on the bat of Dan Hughes in their reply, the 23-year-old reaching 51 not out from 36 deliveries while partnering Lee when the winning runs were scored.

A key talking point to come out of Sunday night's clash was the heated exchanges that took place between Sixers captain Brad Haddin and the Thunder's star import Chris Gayle.

Haddin used a broadcast interview during the match to declare Gayle needs to start earning his sizeable pay packet in light of the West Indian's paltry knock of 9 when opening the Thunder's innings.

Gayle, lauded as the world's premier Twenty20 batsman when he arrived for his second Big Bash campaign on a $250,000 deal, has been well below his best, averaging just 13 from six innings.

His poor form became the subject of ridicule when Haddin was piloting the Sixers' chase.

But Gayle, who finished with bowling figures of 2 for 17, claimed a minor victory by enticing a rash shot from Haddin who was caught for 18.

Gayle celebrated Haddin's wicket by thumping his chest and starting an impromptu 'Gangnam-style' dance before the Sixers skipper continued the sledging in a sideline interview.

"He's been all talk so far this tournament and they haven't won a game," Haddin told Fox Sports.

"It's disappointing to get out then, I was feeling pretty good but at least the Thunder fans have seen Chris Gayle do something for his money."

Gayle laughed off Haddin's comments as friendly banter and pointed to his growing list of scalps this tournament that also includes retired Test great Ricky Ponting.

"I've done a lot for [the Thunder] from last year," Gayle said.

"[Haddin] is going to be in my pocket just like Ricky and the rest of the big names who I got out."

The verbal stoushes ensured there was still some spark in the contest between the competition's two worst-performed teams, which drew an impressive crowd of 20,986.

And they witnessed a capitulation from the Thunder top order, a solo recovery mission from Khawaja and successful Sixers' run chase led by Hughes.

Hughes offered just one chance, on 48, when he was dropped by Scott Coyte off the bowling of Dirk Nannes (3 for 24).

Gayle was not alone in struggling at the top of the Thunder top order - Matt Prior (4) and Chris Rogers (7) also failed to deliver.

Josh Lalor (2 for 20) and Luke Feldman (2 for 23) were the pick of the Sixers' bowlers.

The loss ensures the Thunder will finish 2012 without a single victory, their last coming on December 23 last year.

This year has been far kinder for the Sixers - they won the inaugural Big Bash tournament in January and the Champions League in October, but both their victories this summer have come against the hapless Thunder.

Meanwhile, Sixers all-rounder Steve Smith suffered rib damage during his brief knock of 14.

AAP/ABC

Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, homebush-2140

First posted December 30, 2012 22:24:33

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Adelaide makes strong defence against the Thunder

By Andrew McGarry

Updated December 20, 2012 22:44:47

Adelaide Strikers have become the first Big Bash team to successfully defend a total, beating the Sydney Thunder by 51 runs at the Olympic stadium.

The Thunder needed nearly nine an over after the Strikers scored 6 for 177, but they were always struggling after star import Chris Gayle was out for just 8.

Veteran slinger Shaun Tait was the big destroyer, taking the key wickets of Mark Cosgrove (8) and Azhar Mahmood (1) to put added pressure on Gayle.

Chris Rogers tried to keep the score ticking along but when Gayle tried to take a toll on his countryman Kieron Pollard only to hole out to Johan Botha in the deep, the Thunder were 3 for 40 in the eighth over and the game was slipping away.

Cameron Boyce ( 2 for 24) dismissed Sean Abbott (14) and Rogers (23), then Cameron Borgas was run out for 4, leaving the Thunder innings in tatters at 6 for 64.

Scott Coyte (33 off 15) went down fighting, but Kane Richardson (3 for 7) fell just short of a hat-trick after dismissing Coyte and Chris Tremain in successive balls.

Tait finished with 3 for 22. The home side were all out for 126 with eight balls left.

Earlier the Thunder had taken the safe option, winning the toss and putting Adelaide into bat - all 11 previous games in this year's Big Bash had been won by the chasing team.

The Strikers recovered after some stifling early bowling to register 0 for 46 in the six-over powerplay, and went on to be 0 for 75 at half-way.

Adam Zampa broke through in the 12th over, when his leg-break zipped past Tim Ludeman (46 off 39 balls) for a stumping by Carters and Adelaide were 1 for 81.

The key to the innings was the 16th over when Nathan Reardon and opener Michael Klinger launched into Zampa for 23 runs including two fours and two sixes.

The Strikers were then given a life when Reardon was dropped over the boundary for six by Zampa off the first ball of the 17th over, but four balls later the Thunder took one of the catches of the competition.

Reardon (42 off 20) went long and straight against the breeze - the ball looked like a six, but Cameron Borgas at long-on got both hands to it in mid-air and palmed it back over the line for Coyte to take the catch.

Twenty20 specialist paceman Dirk Nannes (4 for 17) then took over with a wicked spell, dismissing Klinger (60 off 46), Theo Doropoulos (0), Pollard (16 off 7 balls) and Callum Ferguson (0).

The result means the Thunder are winless from three games, while the Strikers have won two out of their three games.

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sydney-2000, nsw, adelaide-5000, sa, australia

First posted December 20, 2012 22:42:02

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Khawaja in Test reckoning after Thunder withdrawal

Updated December 18, 2012 17:33:42

Usman Khawaja looks the favourite to replace Michael Clarke in Australia's batting line up should the Test captain fail to prove his fitness in time for the Boxing Day Test.

Khawaja's Big Bash side the Sydney Thunder has withdrawn the left-hand batsman from its squad for its upcoming match against the Adelaide Strikers on Thursday.

The Pakistan-born 25-year-old is expected to be added to an extended Test squad for the second Test of the three-match series against Sri Lanka, with Australian selectors looking to give Clarke as much time as needed to recover from his hamstring strain.

More to follow.

Tags: cricket, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, melbourne-3000, vic, australia, sri-lanka

First posted December 18, 2012 17:32:34

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Renegades spinners silence Thunder

Updated December 15, 2012 00:31:12

Sydney Thunder capitulated to Muttiah Muralidaran and fellow spinner Aaron O'Brien as Melbourne Renegades chased down 117 to win by five wickets.

The Thunder's fate seemed sealed in the fifth over, when Chris Gayle - playing in his first game of the season - was run out when his bat stuck in the surface at the Olympic stadium just before he slid it beyond the crease.

From this point onwards the Renegades spinners took control with Muralidaran taking the key wickets of Usman Khawaja (19) and Mark Cosgrove (12), before Aaron O'Brien decimated the middle order of Chris Rogers (4), Azhar Mahmood (1) and Sean Abbott (3) in quick succession.

When Marlon Samuels took the wicket of Cameron Borgas (5), the Thunder were 7 for 60.

Good lower-order hitting from Chris Tremain (37 off 23) and steady support from Ryan Carters (19) at least gave the Thunder bowlers a target with three figures to defend.

The bowlers did not let the Sydney outfit down with Mahmood (2 for 18), Dirk Nannes (1 for 20) and Abbott (1 for 26) all impressing.

Although the Renegades made hard work of the response, the team's two in-form batsmen Aaron Finch (31) and Ben Rohrer (27) both made decent enough contributions to help their side get over the line.

William Sheridan (12) and Peter Nevill (7) were at the crease as the Renegades got the runs with 10 balls to spare.

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sydney-2000, melbourne-3000

First posted December 14, 2012 22:18:57

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Gayle, Afridi sign with Thunder

Updated July 23, 2012 16:30:14

Sydney Thunder have signed two of the biggest trump cards in Twenty20 cricket for the Big Bash League with Chris Gayle returning and Shahid Afridi making the switch to Homebush.

After recruiting mainly young local talent at the start of the signing window, the Thunder have brought in the star power with Gayle and Afridi - two of the great entertainers in world cricket.

West Indies powerhouse Gayle starred with the bat for the Thunder last season, while Pakistani all-rounder Afridi finished amongst the league's top-10 wicket-takers playing for the Melbourne Renegades in 2011-12.

They will add some much needed presence to the Thunder line-up as proven match-winners.

Gayle's unbeaten century off just 54 deliveries, including 11 sixes, clinched a win for the Thunder over Adelaide last year and was a season highlight.

He scored 252 runs for the Thunder averaging 42 and hit the most sixes in the BBL with 22.

Gayle is arguably the best T20 player there has been and coach Shane Duff is delighted to have him back in lime green.

"Along with David Warner, Chris Gayle is the best T20 player in the world, and I am sure the fans of Sydney Thunder will be excited to come to ANZ Stadium to watch him play again. For many of the players it will be a unique experience to play in the same team and have the chance to learn from the great man," said Duff.

Gayle said he always planned to return to the western Sydney team.

"I love Sydney, so I cannot wait to get amongst the guys again," he said.

Like Gayle, Afridi is vastly experienced in the short form of the game, having played 110 matches.

The mercurial talent can win games with either bat or ball and is looking forward to playing for the Thunder.

"I was approached by a few teams in the BBL and opted for Sydney Thunder as I feel there is a real drive and passion to be successful this time around, and this is something I want to be part of," said Afridi.

AAP

Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted July 23, 2012 16:24:10

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Scorchers embarrass Thunder

Updated January 11, 2012 23:20:42

Sydney Thunder's Big Bash season is all but over following a crushing nine-wicket loss to Perth at the Olympic stadium that was triggered by the controversial dismissals of openers Chris Gayle and Usman Khawaja.

The Thunder, who now have just two wins from six matches and are only a mathematical finals chance, never recovered from the questionable decisions, which reduced them to 2 for 34 on their way to a dismal 99 all out.

The Scorchers never looked in danger of reaching the target, which they polished off with more than five overs to spare thanks to a 103-run partnership between Mitch Marsh (64) and Marcus North (38).

The victory moves the Scorchers to the top of the ladder on 10 points, and all but secures them a home final.

Evergreen Perth spinner Brad Hogg (2 for 8) continued to wind back the clock, while paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile finished with the exceptional figures of 3 for 9, but it was his first two wickets which created the game's major talking point.

Khawaja (8) was unimpressed when given out caught behind by umpire Mick Martell but was given no respite from third umpire Michael Kumutat, who has the option of overturning incorrect decisions.

Instead, it was Gayle who had a decision overruled after he had charged to 20 and survived a loud appeal.

Kumutat, without the use of traditional review methods Hotspot and Snicko, found enough in the replays to remove a clearly bemused Gayle.

The Thunder never recovered, and it was only a 33-run partnership between Tim Armstrong (25) and Scott Coyte (12), which gave their bowlers a tinge of hope.

A furious Thunder captain Dan Smith slammed the decision to remove Gayle, who was adamant that he did not hit the ball.

"I'm taking my player's word over any replay or what [the third umpire] thinks he saw," Smith said.

"I don't know how you can be 100 per cent sure a bloke hit it. That's the hard thing to take especially when it's such a big scalp.

"There's always going to be mistakes in cricket - we made plenty of them - but I don't know if this referral system works or doesn't work."

Gayle says he had not touched the ball and was clearly stunned when it was overturned.

"I didn't feel anything on the bat," he said.

"If I'd touched it I would've said I'd touched it. But that's part of the game.

"There's nothing I could've done about it, but once you're given out you've got to leave."

Gayle revealed he thought he had heard a noise in Khawaja's dismissal, though Coulter-Nile says he did not even appeal for the wicket because of a lack of noise.

"I couldn't hear a thing out there, so I was just going by deviation," he said.

"I saw a bit with Chris' but I didn't see anything in Uzi's."

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted January 11, 2012 21:35:13

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Warner ton guides Thunder to victory

Updated December 18, 2011 07:18:52

David Warner stole the limelight in Shane Warne's Australian comeback on Saturday night, blasting an unbeaten 102 to guide Sydney Thunder to victory over the Melbourne Stars.

The 42-year-old Warne, who was playing his first game at the MCG since retiring from elite cricket in January, took 0 for 19 from his two overs in the Stars' opening game in the new Big Bash League.

Chasing 154 to win, the Thunder reached their target with six wickets and one over in hand thanks to Warner's brilliant knock.

James Faulkner took 2 for 20 for the Stars.

David Hussey top-scored with 52 off 27 balls in the Stars' innings of 7 for 153 while Doug Bollinger and Scott Coyte took two wickets each.

In reply, the Thunder lost West Indies import Chris Gayle for 4, but Warner smashed six fours and six sixes in his 51-ball display of power hitting despite being in doubt for the game with a back injury.

Warner blasted Warne for a six over long-on in his first over and another over the sightscreen in the master leg spinner's second over, prompting skipper Cameron White to give the local hero a rest.

The stocky left-hander said he was determined to treat Warne as just another bowler.

"If he's going to toss it up in my area, I'm going to try to take him down," Warner said.

"Twenty20 cricket for a spin bowler, it's not ideal. I'm just happy that we won."

Warner will play for the Chairman's XI in a three-day tour game against India in Canberra starting on Monday ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

Melbourne captain Cameron White said Warne was still the best leg spinner in the world.

"With six or seven left-handers in their line-up, it was always going to be difficult," White said.

"He bowled well actually. He didn't bowl a bad ball.

"He (Warner) just played well. All credit to David.

"He played fantastic tonight. He took the game away from us."

Test opener Warner reached his century in the 19th over and leapt in the air with delight.

Warne's British fiancee Liz Hurley tossed the coin with the captains before the match as part of the BBL's push to broaden its fan base.

Saturday's game drew a crowd of 23,496 after Stars officials had been hoping to eclipse the Australian Twenty20 domestic record of 43,125 in January 2010 when Victoria hosted Tasmania.

The Stars play Brisbane Heat at the Gabba on December 20 while the Thunder host Adelaide Strikers at the Olympic stadium three days later.

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, melbourne-3000, vic, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted December 17, 2011 22:31:52

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Thunder sign Khawaja after Perth snub

Posted July 9, 2011 19:23:00

Sydney Thunder have confirmed the signing of Usman Khawaja, just a day after Big Bash League rivals Perth Scorchers claimed to have signed the promising Test batsman.

The Thunder announced on Saturday the 24-year-old would join the likes of David Warner and Chris Gayle in playing for the side in the upcoming revamped Twenty20 competition.

It completed a bizarre turn of events after officials from the Scorchers were forced to backflip on claiming they had signed the player on Friday.

The WACA believed it had reached an agreement with Khawaja's management on Wednesday that the 24-year-old left-hander would line up for the Scorchers in the revamped Twenty20 tournament.

However, his management communicated to the WACA that Khawaja was still considering his options and likely to join another BBL team closer to his Sydney home.

WACA cricket manager Andrew Scotford said there had been a "miscommunication" with Usman before his departure to Zimbabwe to join the Australia A tour.

But the Thunder, who will play at Sydney's Olympic stadium, wasted no time announcing they had sealed the deal on Saturday.

"I am honoured to have the chance to be playing for the Sydney Thunder this season," Khawaja said in a statement released by the club.

"I have been very impressed by the calibre of players already in the squad and we are looking forward to making our mark in the first season of the Big Bash League."

- AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, australia, nsw, sydney-2000, wa, perth-6000

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