England’s 2019 World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss has been appointed as Sydney Thunder head coach for the next three KFC Big Bash League (BBL) seasons on Thursday (June 3).
Sydney Thunder has on Thursday announced the appointment of Bayliss as their head coach after Shane Bond stepped down from the role for family reasons in April.
The 58-year-old led England to their maiden ICC World Cup at Lord’s in 2019 and twice won the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders, as well, as guided the Sydney Sixers to the title in the inaugural season of the BBL a decade ago.
He also coached New South Wales to Sheffield Shield and one-day titles between 2004 and 2007.
On their official website, the BBL club said Bayliss is a highly successful coach with the experience of having guided both international and franchise T20 teams across the world and hopes his experience will be a great asset for the club in the tournament.
Excited Bayliss said on his appointment, “It’s great to be home and involved in New South Wales cricket. The Thunder have done well over the last few years… Hopefully, we can go one or two steps further this summer. To win as many matches as possible and compete in the Final is my number one goal.”
He added, “Hopefully this year we can get some crowds back into the matches and making plenty of noise. My experience over the years is that these players are at their best when there is some good atmosphere around the match so hopefully, we can put on a good show for the fans.”
Meanwhile, Cricket NSW Head of Male Cricket, Michael Klinger, has called Bayliss’ signing as Sydney Thunder head coach “perfect” and said his experience would be really fruitful for the club in the BBL.
Klinger stated: “Cricket NSW is really excited to have Bayliss on board as the Head Coach of Sydney Thunder. His experience as both an international and franchise T20 coach around the world is a great asset for the club and will be a fantastic resource for both the playing squad and coaching group.”
He concluded, “Trevor will continue to shape the squad which will include selecting a new captain and with the addition of quality overseas players. Trevor is from Western Sydney himself, so not only is he a quality coach and person but he comes from the heartland of the Sydney Thunder.”
(With Sydney Thunder/AP Inputs)
