Photo Credit: Sydney Thunder
Sydney Thunder batter Jason Sangha said he and his teammates would “stick together” as they prepare to play five of their next six KFC Big Bash League matches on the road.
Thunder play Perth Scorchers tomorrow at the team’s second home ground, Manuka Oval, and then travel to Adelaide to play the Strikers on New Year’s Eve; they return to Sydney Showground Stadium on January 2 to play Adelaide; the Scorchers on the Gold Coast; the Renegades in Melbourne, and the Hurricanes in Launceston.
Sangha said it was vital for Thunder to start their travels with a good showing against the Scorchers, one of the BBL’s form teams.
“Our schedule is really tight now,” he said as the team travelled to Canberra by coach. “We’re on the road for a little bit, so this is where we need to stick together as a unit.”
However, he said it was advantageous for the Trevor Bayliss-coached team to play the first of their string of games in Thunder Nation territory – at Manuka Oval.
“The Manuka crowd, the people of Canberra, are awesome,” Sangha enthused.
“Every time we play there it’s a beautiful outfield, it’s a great wicket to bat on. Any batter will tell you they love seeing short boundaries – and Manuka definitely has that.
“I feel like we’ve built a really nice base down in Canberra, and I think we’ve been successful there as well. It’s a good match-up against the Scorchers, they’ve been one of the better team in the competition so far.”
After his first two outings for Thunder this summer Sangha boasts an impressive strike-rate of 148.27 after hitting 86 runs from 58 deliveries. However, he has more reasons than impressive statistics to be playing with a smile.
“BBL|08 was my last game,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of years where I was pretty hard on myself . . . didn’t get the opportunities I felt I may have deserved.
“Sometimes, good things have to take a little bit longer.
“For me it was about grinding; getting better at my game, and understanding that when the opportunity came not to put too much pressure on myself – really go out and just enjoy it.
“I think the Big Bash allows that. Whenever we’re out there I always try and enjoy the game.
It’s probably the approach I’ve gone with this year, and so far it’s worked.”
