Big Bash Season 12, Despite being selected as the Thunder’s platinum pick in this year’s inaugural overseas player draught, the England allrounder will not play this season. Sydney Thunder suffered a major setback one month before the KFC BBL|12, with David Willey, their platinum pick in the inaugural overseas player draught, withdrawing from the tournament.
Willey withdraws from Thunder in Big Bash 12
David Willey, who was part of England’s victorious T20 World Cup team but did not participate in the event, informed the club that he will not be playing Big Bash cricket this summer. The 32-year-resignation old’s was not explained, but a club statement confirmed that Thunder management had reached a mutual arrangement to terminate his contract. The Thunder selected the left-arm bowling allrounder with the seventh pick in the BBL|12 Draft in August, and he was the only platinum-level player projected to be available for the whole competition.
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Willey is the second platinum choice to withdraw from at least part of the competition, after England teammate and No. 1 pick Liam Livingstone’s unexpected call-up to the Test squad for their December tour of Pakistan. Livingstone, on the other hand, will still play in the Big Bash this summer and is anticipated to be eligible for the Melbourne Renegades’ fifth match of the season on December 28 at the SCG against the Sydney Sixers.
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The Renegades named West Indian sensation Andre Russell as Livingstone’s substitute for the first four games of the season earlier this month. The Thunder said in a statement that they had already started looking for a “world-class talent” to replace Willey. While the Sydney Thunder’s head coach Andrew Gilchrist was unhappy that Willey would not be participating this season, he accepted the Englishman’s choice. David and his management team have been fantastic to work with,” Gilchrist remarked.
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The Sydney Thunder regret that David will not be playing for us this season, but we wish him and his family the best of luck in the future.” Willey is said to have turned down substantial offers from the new South African T20 league in order to be available for the whole BBL|12 seasons since playing in Australia was a better match for him and his family over the Christmas and New Year period. “I spent roughly 16 out of 18 weeks abroad at the start of the year with the (Pakistan Super League and Indian Premier League),” Willey stated at the time.
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I have two small children, so spending time together was critical for me and my family.” Willey previously spent four seasons with the Perth Scorchers, from BBL|05 to BBL|08, taking 26 wickets in 27 games. The Thunder will be encouraged by the performances of their two other international draftees during the T20 World Cup, with England’s Alex Hales (212 runs at 42.40) named to the Team of the Tournament and South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw scoring the highest individual score of the tournament with 109 off 56 balls against Bangladesh.
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Following the three-match NRMA Insurance Test series against South Africa, Australian superstar David Warner will return to the Big Bash League for the first time in nine years for the Thunder’s last five games of the regular season. Ben Cutting, Oliver Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales (England), Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner are the current Sydney Thunder BBL|12 squad.
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