JASON Sangha's breakout Big Bash League campaign has earned the Newcastle run machine a contract extension with Sydney Thunder until at least the end of the 2023-24 season.
After spending two full BBL seasons on the sidelines, the former Wallsend and Southern Lakes right-hander was recalled on December 19 for the Thunder's clash with Brisbane Heat and proceeded to carve out 39 from 28 balls and kick-start a runscoring spree.
He finished the season with 445 runs - the fifth-most in the BBL - at an average of 49.4 and a strike rate of 132.0. For good measure, he chipped in with four wickets, nine catches and captained Thunder on three occasions.
That form then transferred into his red-ball cricket, and he was NSW's leading runmaker in the Sheffield Shield with 504 at an average of 38.7, including a century and four half-centuries.
He also skippered the Blues in the final game of the season.
Sangha said it was an easy decision to re-sign with the Thunder, who finished third on the BBL points table last season but were ambushed by Adelaide Strikers in their first play-off.
"Last summer was really fantastic," Sangha said.
"The opportunities I enjoyed with Thunder - knowing I was going to be batting at the position I love in white-ball cricket, at No.3, and gaining leadership opportunities - made it a no-brainer for me to stay."
He was confident the Thunder could improve on last season's disappointing exit in the finals.
"There's definitely some unfinished business," he said.
"I saw what it took to win our first BBL title in BBL-05, and that was a long time ago.
"We have an exciting future with so much young and exciting talent in our team with players like Ollie Davies and Tanveer Sangha.
"It's a nice time to be a part of Sydney Thunder, to help build it into something special. I realised I really wanted to be a part of that when the club offered me a new deal."
The former Australian under-19 skipper said that, in hindsight, the two seasons he spent on the Thunder periphery were part of his learning curve.
"I used that time to recoup and realise the elements I needed to add to my game to get the best out of myself in the T20 arena," he said.
"When I look back, it was the honest conversations I had with the coaching staff and my fellow players - along with the work I did in the nets - that helped me grow into the season I had."
