Thunder go familiar and fresh in Overseas Player Draft

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In the BBL Draft, the club opted for the return of New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson at Pick 8 before strengthening their middle-order with Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan at Pick 12. 

Ferguson returns to the squad after a strong six-game BBL|14 campaign where he claimed eight wickets at an average of 21.50. He will be available for 4-6 games including finals.  

Khan, a dynamic all-rounder with almost 350 wickets in T20 cricket, will be available for the entire season including finals. The Pakistan international recently appeared in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup and T20I series against Afghanistan and New Zealand, making an impact with both bat and ball. 

Thunder General Manager Trent Copeland explained the BBL Draft strategy:

"Our plans for the draft were to come out with game breakers, culture builders and the biggest area of need was a fully available, genuine gun allrounder that brings a sixth bowling option and bats in our top six - Shadab is exactly that."

Joining the duo is returning English star Sam Billings, whose pre-signing was locked in with Pick 21. Set to enter the second year of his three-season deal, Billings returns off the back of a strong 2024/25 campaign that saw him earn a spot in the BBL|14 Team of the Tournament. 

Sydney Thunder BBL|15 Draft selections: 

Pick 8: Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand) 
Pick 12: Shadab Khan (Pakistan) 
Pick 21: Sam Billings (England) 
Pick 32: Pass 

Sydney Thunder BBL|15 Squad (to date):  
Wes Agar, Tom Andrews, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings (INT), Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson (INT), Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Shadab Khan (INT), Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner.  

Familiar faces headlined Thunder’s WBBL Draft class. After Heather Knight was selected by the Perth Scorchers at Pick 4, Thunder immediately activated their retention pick to keep the WBBL|10 Player of the Season in lime green for the upcoming summer. 

Knight will reunite with Sri Lankan superstar Chamari Athapaththu, whose pre-signing was finalised in the second round with Pick 14. 

Thunder rounded out Draft Day by selecting South African speedster Shabnim Ismail at Pick 19, with the fiery quick set to return to Western Sydney to spearhead the club’s bowling attack.  

Copeland said he couldn’t be happier with how the draft unfolded.

“Honestly, I’m blown away with what we were able to achieve. Thankfully Phoebe hit the right buttons, and in our view, we landed three fully available, genuinely world-class players in their own right that absolutely love our club and the fans too.”

All three WBBL draftees are available for the full season including finals.  

Sydney Thunder WBBL|11 Draft selections: 

Pick 4 [Retained]: Heather Knight (England) 
Pick 14: Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka) 
Pick 21: Shabnim Ismail (South Africa) 
Pick 30: Pass 

Sydney Thunder WBBL|10 Squad (to date): 
Chamari Athapaththu (INT), Sam Bates, Hannah Darlington, Hasrat Gill, Laura Harris, Shabnim Ismail (INT), Heather Knight (INT), Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Claire Moore, Taneale Peschel, Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson. 

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