Dan Christian, an all-around player, retired from all forms of the game at the age of 39. Then, during his second spell as coach, he joined the Sydney Thunders as assistant coach for the current Big Bash League (BBL 2024–25). However, players have been left out for the same reason, and the team has been battling with ongoing injury problems. Christian was added to the team as a player, a decision that shocked the cricket community.
Christian is on the roster for the Thunders’ upcoming matchup against the Brisbane Heat on January 6. Three of the team’s most important players were forced to leave due to injury, and Sam Konstas was occupied by the Australian squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Thunder are anticipating the veteran’s contribution as a player, said general manager Trent Copeland.
We’re really lucky that Dan Christian is already a member of the club.
He is a BBL legend, and we are certain that he is still competitive. Sportstar cited Copeland as saying, “We can’t wait to see him jump back into this environment and make an impact.”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the team we have here at Sydney Thunder for BBL 14, and I am totally dedicated to my coaching role with the team.” During the off-season, I decided that I would never completely rule out returning to the BBL or any other T20 competition. With UNSW Cricket Club, I’ve been playing NSW Premier Cricket and putting in a lot of training. The physique feels fantastic, and I wanted to make sure I was ready in case something came up,” Christian continued.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨@ThunderBBL 41-year-old assistant coach Dan Christian has been signed as a replacement player 😲 pic.twitter.com/ll81XorRuR
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 5, 2025
Sams-Bancroft was hurt in a terrible collision during a BBL game.
Jason Sangha’s damaged bicep, Tanveer Sangha’s side strain, Daniel Sams’ concussion, and Cameron Bancroft’s broken nose and shattered shoulder are the injured Sydney Thunder players who were unable to play. Sams and Bancroft suffered injuries during a recent BBL game when they clashed horribly while fielding for their team. However, this was unusual.
Sydney Thunder Squad vs Brisbane Heat (Monday):
David Warner (C), Wes Agar, Tom Andrews, Sam Billings, Dan Christian, Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Gilkes, Toby Gray, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Blake Nikitaras, Sherfane Rutherford, Hugh Weibgen.
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