David Warner and Heather Knight have been crowned Sydney Thunder’s BBL and WBBL Players of the Season at the 23rd Annual Cricket NSW Awards held at the SCG.
Warner and Knight claim top Sydney Thunder Awards
In his first full season of availability, Warner took on the captaincy of the Western Sydney club and beat out Sam Billings, Chris Green, and Tom Andrews to claim the Mike Hussey Medal.
The eye-catching opener amassed 405 runs from 12 innings at an impressive average of 45, finishing as the competition’s second-highest run-scorer and earning a spot in the BBL|14 Team of the Tournament.
Knight, retained by Thunder via the Draft, wasted no time making an impact, blasting scores of 48, 59*, and 50 to steer the lime green and black to early-season victories over the Hurricanes, Heat, and Sixers.
Despite playing just six matches during Thunder’s WBBL|10 campaign, the English international finished amongst the competition’s top -15 leading run-scorers with 226 at an average of 45.20.
Thunder’s success at the CNSW Awards night extended beyond the Big Bash, with Tahlia Wilson claiming her third consecutive WNCL Player of the Tournament medal and second straight Belinda Clark Medal. Matthew Gilkes also took home the Michael Bevan One-Day Cup Player of the Tournament award.
Chris Green was also celebrated for reaching the milestone of 100 BBL matches during BBL|14.
Sydney Thunder General Manager, Trent Copeland congratulated the club’s award winners.
“With Heather, you get world-class leadership and experience. We knew retaining her in the draft was the right call and to win this award in just six (of ten) matches speaks volumes.
“Particularly coming off the back of World Cup heartache, an injury that interrupted preparation, Heather’s impact on and off the field was immediate. She won games for us with the bat, helped guide our new young captain Phoebe Litchfield through her first season, and was a legend to our many Thunder fans at Drummoyne and North Sydney Oval.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have Heather at Sydney Thunder and we hope she remains part of our journey for a long time to come.
“Davey’s success should come as a surprise to no one. He’s one of the fiercest competitors in world cricket and consistently leads by example. This was the first time in his illustrious career that he could play a full BBL start to finish, and wasn’t it a thing of beauty.
“Taking on the captaincy was a big decision, but he embraced it from day one and led us to a BBL Grand Final in his first year. Year two for that trophy!”
23rd Cricket NSW Annual Awards – Sydney Thunder Winners and Finalists
Alex Blackwell Medal for Sydney Thunder WBBL Player of the Year
Winner: Heather Knight
Finalists: Samantha Bates, Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Voll
Mike Hussey Medal for Sydney Thunder BBL Player of the Year
Winner: David Warner
Finalists: Tom Andrews, Sam Billings, Chris Green