BBL 2017-18

Sydney Thunder sign Jos Buttler for forthcoming BBL season

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

Jos Buttler will be available for only six games of Thunder's campaign. © Getty

England keeper-batsman Jos Buttler has been signed up by Sydney Thunder for the forthcoming seventh season of the Big Bash League. The 27-year-old joins Callum Ferguson and New Zealand's Mitchell McClenaghan as the side's new recruits for the season.

Buttler, a dynamic T20 batsman capable of scoring all around the ground, will be available for the first six games of Thunder's season before he joins the national side for England's limited-overs assignment against Australia. The Englishman was excited by the prospect of interacting with Australia great Michael Hussey, who is currently serving as Director of Cricket at the club.

"I'm delighted to be part of Thunder and get stuck in, Mike Hussey is someone I've really admired and I'm really excited to meet him," Buttler said. "Eoin Morgan is a good friend, he had two seasons with the club and he spoke really highly of everyone and said I'd have a brilliant time. I'm excited to get stuck in and make some friendships. One of the great things about these tournaments is meeting new players and learning from guys and creating friendships all over the world."

The England international, who played five BBL games for the Melbourne Renegades in the third season, is eager to get reacquainted with the Australian fans. "I'm really excited. I've played in the BBL once before, ahead of England's last ODI tour to Australia," said Buttler. I've watched the competition go from strength to strength to become one of the best competitions in the world. The crowds are fantastic and there's a big family emphasis which creates a great atmosphere."

The decision to sign Buttler despite his partial availability stemmed from his ability to create impact from anywhere in the batting order. Despite being a middle-order batsman, Buttler enjoyed success batting at the top for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2017. It is this kind of flexibility that makes Buttler a hot-property in the T20 market, according to Hussey.

"He's a quality player who provides us with plenty of flexibility. He can bat at the top of the order like he does for the Mumbai Indians and also in the middle order. We've done a lot of homework and asked around and all the feedback we've heard is that he's a fantastic character that will add a lot to the dressing room.

"We know we're going to lose him for the second half of the season but we have a strategy in place for that. I feel that we're well placed to start the tournament well and its important to get a few wins on the board early as it can get pretty close late on."

The seventh season of BBL starts on December 19 with the Thunder hosting cross-town rivals Sydney Sixers in the tournament opener.

© Cricbuzz

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