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January 19, 2024
Sydney Thunder’s disappointing Big Bash League season ended with a whimper at Sydney Showground Stadium on Wednesday night, as they were handed the wooden spoon without a ball being bowled.
The Thunder’s last game against the Melbourne Renegades was called off by the umpires at 8:35 p.m. because of the continuous rain.
This marks Thunder’s third rain-affected match of the season, leaving them with just one win in ten games for 2023/24. It’s their fifth wooden spoon in 13 seasons.
Thunder captain Chris Green said his team had “hoped to get some pride back tonight and give the fans what they deserve.”
“I’ve spoken throughout, we’ve been short with the bat, particularly through the middle phase … we’ve only scored three 50s,” Green said. “Lots of scores of 15, 20, the odd 30, which has left us 15, 20 runs short.
“Good teams in this competition, with small margins, you’re going to be found out each time.”
“It is not panic stations,” Green said. “We’re not going to throw everybody out. We had our rebuilding phase nine years ago at the Sydney Thunder.
“This is the first year in six we’ve missed out on finals. It’s a blip on the radar and I honestly believe we’ll be better for it.”
Green said there would be no post-season ‘honesty session’ because the players have been honest all year.
“We’ve been honest with ourselves throughout,” he said. “You ask all the individuals, we haven’t been at our best.
“But even without being at our best we’ve pushed all the good teams to close losses. It shows if we do play our best cricket we can match it and beat the best teams.
“It’s the frustrating thing – we’ve never been able to play our best cricket in the nine games so far.”
Fans hoping to see 40-year-old Shaun Marsh play his final cricket match were disappointed by the rain. Media attempts to interview the veteran were unsuccessful, as a Renegades media official noted Marsh was ‘done with media.’
Despite the damp end, Marsh boasts the third-highest BBL batting average of all time at 40.44, trailing only Brad Hodge (42.8) and Steve Smith (41.2).
Retired Test cricketer David Warner, armed with a colorful child’s umbrella, stayed behind to sign autographs and take selfies with fans until the match was officially called off.
Warner will soon head to Dubai to join the Dubai Capitals in the ICTL20 and later play for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.
Cricket Australia will bring Warner back for T20 internationals against the West Indies in Hobart, Adelaide, and Perth from February 9-13. These matches will mark his final international appearances in Australia.
The 37-year-old has announced he will retire from all international cricket after the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean this June.
This summer, cricket fans descended upon Kayo Sports in unprecedented numbers, making BBL13 the most streamed series ever prior to the finals.
Fox Sports confirmed that over 558 million minutes of BBL content—covering live action, pre-and post-game coverage, and Kayo Minis—had been streamed. Viewership data for games one to 37 of the regular season shows a 16 percent increase from last year.
The standout moment of the season was Aaron Finch’s farewell match between the Melbourne Renegades and the Melbourne Stars. His final BBL inning was streamed by almost 170,000 viewers, breaking a record for the largest streaming audience for a BBL regular-season game.
Kayo Minis have especially resonated with fans this summer, showing a 112 percent increase compared to BBL12.
“The backbone of our BBL season has been our world-class commentary team,” Fox Cricket General Manager Matt Weiss said.
“Led by Adam Gilchrist and Mark Howard, the addition of international broadcasters like Ravi Shastri, Ian Smith, Michael Vaughan, Isa Guha, Harsha Bhogle and Wasim Akram has taken our Fox Cricket broadcasts to another level.”
The surge in streaming is mirrored by a 27 percent increase in BBL crowds this summer, with over 800,000 attendees at regular season matches.
Six sold-out games and five additional matches attracted more than 40,000 fans each—a feat not achieved since BBL06. Cricket Australia reported that nearly every BBL club saw a rise in average attendance.
“The calibre of cricket has been world-class this season and it’s been pleasing to see the fans tune in and turn out in large numbers to support their teams,” Big Bash boss Alistair Dobson said.
“The BBL continues to be the most-watched league in the country and we’re looking forward to taking that to the next level throughout the finals series.”
Fox Cricket will broadcast every BBL finals match live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
The Brisbane Heat will face the Sydney Sixers on Friday night in the Qualifier. The winner will secure the right to host the Final on Wednesday.
On Saturday night, the Perth Scorchers will host the Adelaide Strikers in the Knockout fixture. The winner will advance to Monday night’s Challenger, where they will compete against the loser of the Heat-Sixers match.
Fox Cricket, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel, will remain the exclusive platform for streaming every ball of the BBL season through the summer of 2030- 31.
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Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for Top Cricket News, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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