Sydney Thunder: Sammy-Jo joins the Thunder Nation

Star all-rounder joins after five seasons at the Heat

Sydney Thunder has signed star all-rounder Sammy-Jo Johnson to a two-year deal ahead of the upcoming Rebel Women’s Big Bash League season.

Johnson joins Thunder from the Brisbane Heat where she claimed 53 wickets and scored 417 runs in five seasons.

The 27-year-old’s accurate seam bowling and power hitting were integral to the Heat’s successive WBBL titles over the past two seasons.

The move to Thunder coincides with Johnson making the move to Sydney for the domestic 2020/21 Women’s National Cricket League season.

“I was really drawn to Thunder’s values,” Johnson said.

“I enjoy giving back to the community and having an impact on local clubs and schools, and that’s something I’m really keen to get involved in at Thunder.”

Johnson said she is looking forward to working with the young players in the squad and evolving her own game under Head Coach Trevor Griffin.

“There’s so many talented young players in the squad and I think it’s just a matter of guiding them in the right direction and ensuring they know that they can handle any situation that’s thrown at them,” she said.

“Even as a senior player, I’ve still got plenty to learn and I want to continue to evolve as a person and a player. Trevor has such a such a wealth of experience and hopefully I can learn a lot from him.”

Griffin said he is looking forward to utilising Johnson’s ability with both bat and ball.

“She’s a hard-hitting batter and an economical bowler who will bring a lot of experience to our squad,” Griffin said.

“She has the ability to go in early in the powerplay and be destructive or go in at the end and take the game away from the opposition. With the ball, she can bowl with the new ball, in the middle or at the back end which will be vitally important to our set-up.

“She’s the complete package and we’re very excited to welcome her to Sydney Thunder.”

This announcement follows the re-signing of South African speedster Shabnim Ismail.

The WBBL|06 fixture builds on the tremendous success of the inaugural standalone season in 2019-20.

A full 59-game fixture has been scheduled across October and November, with Thunder set to open its season on 17 October against the Scorchers in Perth.

Sydney Thunder WBBL Squad

Head Coach: Trevor Griffin

Contracted for WBBL|06: Rachael Haynes (C), Sam Bates, Hannah Darlington, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Phoebe Litchfield, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson

Sydney Thunder WBBL|06 Fixtures

Sat 17 Oct | Vs Perth Scorchers | Perth | 5:00PM

Sun 18 Oct | Vs Hobart Hurricanes | Perth | 1:00PM

Sat 24 Oct | Vs Adelaide Strikers | Karen Rolton Oval | 2:30PM

Sun 25 Oct | Vs Brisbane Heat | Karen Rolton Oval | 10:20AM

Wed 18 Oct | Vs Melbourne Renegades | Hurstville Oval | 2:00PM

Sat 31 Oct | Vs Perth Scorchers | North Sydney Oval | 12:15PM

Sun 1 Nov | Vs Melbourne Stars | North Sydney Oval | 10:20AM

Sat 7 Nov | Vs Melbourne Renegades | Blacktown Intl Sportspark | 10:00AM

Sun 8 Nov | Vs Sydney Sixers | North Sydney Oval | 1:45PM

Tues 10 Nov | Vs Melbourne Stars | Blacktown Intl Sportspark | 6:30PM

Sat 14 Nov | Vs Adelaide Strikers | Blacktown Intl Sportspark | 10:00AM

Sun 15 Nov | Vs Sydney Sixers | North Sydney Oval | 1:45PM

Sat 21 Nov | Vs Hobart Hurricanes | Melbourne | 10:00AM

Sun 22 Nov | Vs Brisbane Heat | Melbourne | 10:00AM

Join the Sydney Thunder mailing list to stay up to date with all the latest team news, competitions, membership and ticketing announcements.

Photo Credit: Sydney Thunder