Ferguson named Sydney Thunder BBL skipper

Thursday, 15 August 2019:

CALLUM FERGUSON of South Australia bats during the JLT One Day Cup match between Victoria and South Australia at Junction Oval Melbourne, Australia.
CALLUM FERGUSON of South Australia bats during the JLT One Day Cup match between Victoria and South Australia at Junction Oval Melbourne, Australia.


New Sydney Thunder captain Callum Ferguson says he has "big shoes to fill" after taking over from former Australian Test cricketer Shane Watson.

The 34-year-old, who will be supported by vice-captain Chris Green, joined Sydney Thunder in 2017 and has played 21 games, scoring 544 runs at an average of 30.22.

Ferguson won the Mike Hussey Medal as Sydney Thunder's best player last season in an impressive campaign that saw him finish as the league's fourth-highest run-scorer.

This included an unbeaten 113 runs off 53 balls against the Perth Scorchers - the highest ever individual score for a Thunder batsman.

Ferguson, currently playing for Worcestershire in England's domestic T20 competition, said he would relish the opportunity to lead the club.

"It's obviously a huge honour to take over from such a great captain in Shane Watson," he said.

"They're big shoes to fill but certainly I'm really excited about the challenge and the chance to lead a group of players that I love playing with."

Sydney Thunder finished the BBL08 season in sixth place and Ferguson said he was driven to lead the side back into finals contention.

"I'm really looking forward to taking our young, talented group forward over the next tournament and hopefully seeing a bit of success," he said.

Sydney Thunder is set to open BBL09 with a clash against the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba on December 17, before playing its first game in Sydney on January 2.






AAP