Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Sport
Josh Callinan

Sangha starts Thunder captaincy on winning note, Gray officially listed as BBL replacement player

Sydney Thunder captain Jason Sangha. Picture by Keegan Carroll

JASON Sangha has started his tenure as Sydney Thunder captain on a winning note, scoring 24 in a final-ball thriller to open this season's Big Bash League.

Sitting tensely in the dugout during the closing stages, the Novocastrian rose from the bench and pumped his fists when Thunder broke a deadlock with the Melbourne Stars and secured victory via byes.

The Thunder finished 9-123 in reply to the Stars' 8-122 at Manuka Oval on Tuesday night.

A late cameo from Gurinder Sandhu (20 not out) saw totals tied. He missed Beau Webster's last delivery and Stars wicketkeeper Joe Clarke was unable to stop it.

Earlier, Sangha hit two fours in his 25-ball innings before being bowled by Adam Zampa at 4-47.

In a low-scoring affair, Alex Ross (28) was the best of the Thunder batsmen.

Nick Larkin reached 25 for the Stars while Joe Burns (18), who along with Marcus Stoinis (0) tested COVID positive on Tuesday, retired hurt due to a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Sangha welcomed this week's official elevation of Newcastle leg-spinner Toby Gray to the Thunder squad as a local replacement player.

"He is a talented leg-spin bowler, an exceptional fielder and a more than handy batter," Sangha told Thunder media.

"Something I like about Toby is nothing ever fazes him. He goes about his business in a terrific manner and has lots of fun doing it."

Thunder hosts Adelaide in Sydney on Friday night.


WHAT DO YOU THINK? We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Newcastle Herald website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.