Sixers, Thunder sign legends for Big Bash campaigns

Sydney’s Big Bash clubs have asked two of the game’s big players to give them an edge over their competitors, which is reshaping lists and attracting international talent amidst the uncertainty caused by COVID19.

Former Australian captains Lisa Sthalekar and Alex Blackwell have been signed as list leaders for the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder.

Sthalekar, a member of the ICC and Cricket Australia Hall of Fame, who played 187 games in his country, manages the Sixers ’BBL and WBBL charts.

Blackwell, Australia’s most decorated female player and World Cup-winning captain, will take care of Thunder’s WBBL team.

Since the player has played his career, Sthalekar has made a career as a broadcaster, working with both men and women in international and domestic cricket around the world.

Former Thunder captain Blackwell also works in broadcasting and has a unique vision of foreign players working with FairBreak, a global equality movement.

These insights into the best talent in the world give them an advantage in exploring the abilities of the Sixers and Thunder, CNSW cricket manager Greg Mail said.

“Their cricket pedigrees are obviously excellent, and they’re both exceptional people who bring decades of knowledge and experience to the role,” Mail said.

“The fact that they both watch more cricket than most in their commentary roles and have had the opportunity to see a lot of talent from all over Australia and around the world is a big positive thing.”

This intelligence will be crucial this summer, given the challenges posed by the international timetable and COVID19 constraints.

Quarantine requirements combined with conflicting tournaments and international assignments continue to cause headaches in both women’s and men’s competitions.

WBBL | The 07 season begins on October 14th, and Thunder already has to secure at least two new international teams on defense due to England’s controversial Pakistan tour, preventing Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont from returning.

“I think I fitted the role pretty nicely,” Blackwell said. “It’s something I stick to anyway because I get great opportunities to comment on cricket.

“I also like all domestic cricket and internationally through my role at FairBreak, where I help bring all six teams together for the FairBreak Invitational – the first global invitational competition of its kind next year in Hong Kong.”

The Sixers have confirmed that they have been separated from South African stars Marizanne Kapp and Dane van Niekerk – the former has signed a contract with Perth Scorchers – and have been merged with India’s Shafali Verma and Radha Yadav, but changes in the availability of Indian stars may force to change the tact for the magenta club.

“I’m lucky enough to comment on cricket and a lot of T20 cricket around the world in various tournaments, and I’ve been lucky to see a lot of players both here and abroad,” Sthalekar said.

“I feel in a good position to assist both the Sixers WBBL and BBL teams to make sure our team has the right staff to allow them to chase more titles and raise the bar in both tournaments.”

Thunder’s BBL team list manager will be appointed in due course.

The Sixers are looking for a new WBBL coach after Ben Sawyer’s departure to take on the role of full-time assistant with the Australian women’s team.