Pat Cummins named Marquee Supplementary Player

As the 19th supplementary player, the international star sits outside the 18-strong playing squad but could be brought in should he become available.

Though his immediate focus is on winning the Ashes, the door is open for Cummins to play in the lime green ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Many will know him as the successful Australia Men’s captain, but he is also a successful Thunder player being a part of the title winning squad in BBL|05. He was contracted to the club from 05 to BBL|09, his last stint in the competition before international duties took hold.

One of his most memorable performances with ball in hand was taking 2 for 21 in 2014 against Brisbane Heat to take Thunder to a 56-run victory. Not to mention, being at the non-strikers end when ex-England international Eoin Morgan hit a six on the last ball to beat the Melbourne Stars in BBL|06.

Speaking on the upcoming season, Cummins said: “It means a lot to me that I am locked in with Thunder having grown up in Western Sydney. I’ll obviously have limited time on the ground with the team while we try and win the Ashes but I'm looking forward to supporting the playing group in what is no doubt an exciting summer.

“You can already see the winning mentality that Davey Warner is building with the team. We almost got there last year and I’m confident we can go one further this year – we have the experience and the young talent to do so.

“A big thank you to our Thunder Nation for your continued support – I can’t wait to see you out at game during the season.”

Sydney Thunder General Manager, Trent Copeland, said: “We’re very lucky to have Pat on board once again this season. Not every team can say they have the support of Australia’s captain on their side.

“This is about Pat’s ongoing commitment to the club. He has had a terrific impact on the team every year he’s been involved and I’m sure it’ll be the same this time around. While his immediate focus is on his return to the massive Ashes series, the door is and always will be open for Pat to play – should all ducks be in a row post-Ashes, and in the lead up to the T20 World Cup.”

Thunder’s BBL|15 campaign starts tonight in Hobart with a grand final re-match against the Hurricanes, before returning home to ENGIE Stadium for the highly anticipated Sydney Smash on December 20. Click here to grab your tickets!

Sydney Thunder BBL|15 Squad:

Wes Agar, Charlie Anderson, Tom Andrews, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings (ENG), Pat Cummins, Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson (NZ), Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hadley, Shadab Khan (PAK), Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson, Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Aidan O'Connor, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, Reece Topley (ENG), David Warner

Sydney Thunder BBL|15 Home Fixtures (All Times AEDT): 

Saturday, December 20 | v Sydney Sixers | ENGIE Stadium | 7:15pm 

Monday, December 22 | v Brisbane Heat | Corroboree Group Oval, Manuka | 7:15pm  

Tuesday, December 30 | v Perth Scorchers | ENGIE Stadium | 7:15pm  

Saturday, January 3 | v Hobart Hurricanes | ENGIE Stadium | 7:15pm  

Monday, January 12 | v Melbourne Renegades | ENGIE Stadium | 7:15pm