Edwards and Bollinger join Sydney Thunder
Fidel Edwards, the West Indies fast bowler, will join his former captain Chris Gayle at the Sydney Thunder during this summer's Big Bash League
ESPNcricinfo staff
13-Jul-2011
Fidel Edwards will be part of the Sydney Thunder squad • Associated Press
Fidel Edwards, the West Indies fast bowler, will join his former captain Chris Gayle at the Sydney Thunder during this summer's Big Bash League. The Thunder have confirmed Edwards and Doug Bollinger as their newest two signings as they put together a squad based around the star opening duo of Gayle and David Warner.
Edwards, 29, recently made his return to the West Indies side after two years out following back surgery. The Thunder general manager John Dyson said Edwards and Bollinger would be a potent new-ball combination.
"They are going to create plenty of headaches for batsmen in the KFC T20 Big Bash League," Dyson said. "Fidel has proven to be a consistent wicket taker, especially in the last series against India, while Doug is one of the premier fast bowlers in Australia and is coming off an excellent IPL series."
The Thunder, who are based at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, will be coached by Shane Duff, a former Sydney club cricketer who has also been Sri Lanka's strength and conditioning coach. Daniel Smith, the wicketkeeper who recently lost his New South Wales contract, will be both assistant coach and a player.
Meanwhile, the Melbourne Stars have secured another player from interstate, the Tasmania allrounder James Faulkner. The Stars scored a coup last week by locking in three current and former captains from other states, including the Tasmania leader George Bailey. The MCG-based Stars have also signed the young Victorian allrounder Alex Keath and the Bushrangers' left-arm spinner Jon Holland.
The Adelaide Strikers have given a new lease of life to Adam Crosthwaite, the former Victoria wicketkeeper, who hasn't played at the elite level since early 2009. Crosthwaite moved to Sydney when the Bushrangers made it clear Matthew Wade was their No.1 gloveman, but he has not managed to find a way into the New South Wales squad.
Crosthwaite will join his former mentor Darren Berry, who was an assistant coach at Victoria and is now in charge of the Strikers and South Australia. The Strikers have also signed Lee Carseldine, the Queensland batsman who lost his state contract this year, and the Tasmania fast bowler Brendan Drew.
The South Australia-contracted players Theo Doropoulos and Gary Putland have also become Strikers. Meanwhile, Peter Forrest, the former New South Wales batsman who has signed with Queensland for this summer, will remain north of the border after being named in the Brisbane Heat squad.
The squads so far
Adelaide Strikers Aiden Blizzard, Cameron Borgas, Lee Carseldine, Tom Cooper, Adam Crosthwaite, Theo Doropoulos, Brendan Drew, Callum Ferguson, Daniel Harris, Michael Klinger, Nathan Lyon, Aaron O'Brien, Gary Putland, Kane Richardson. Overseas players: Kieron Pollard.
Brisbane Heat Nick Buchanan, Daniel Christian, Ben Cutting, Peter Forrest, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, James Hopes, Chris Lynn, Michael Neser.
Hobart Hurricanes Travis Birt, Mark Cosgrove, Xavier Doherty, Luke Feldman, Evan Gulbis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Michael Hogan, Phil Jaques, Matt Johnston, Jason Krejza, Nick Kruger, Ben Laughlin, Rhett Lockyear, Tim Paine, RIcky Ponting. Overseas players: Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Owais Shah.
Melbourne Renegades Ryan Carters, Aaron Finch, Shane Harwood, Aaron Heal, Jayde Herrick, Michael Hill, Brad Hodge, Glenn Maxwell, Andrew McDonald, Brenton McDonald, Dirk Nannes, Nathan Reardon, Will Sheridan, Shaun Tait. Overseas players: Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi.
Melbourne Stars George Bailey, James Faulkner, Jon Holland, David Hussey, Alex Keath, Chris Simpson, Adam Voges, Cameron White.
Perth Scorchers Tom Beaton, Michael Beer, Mark Cameron, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Michael Hussey, Simon Katich, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Marcus North, Luke Pomersbach, Nathan Rimmington, Luke Ronchi. Overseas players: Paul Collingwood, Herschelle Gibbs.
Sydney Sixers Ed Cowan, Moises Henriques, Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Ben Rohrer, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc.
Sydney Thunder Doug Bollinger, Tim Cruickshank, Jason Floros, Usman Khawaja, Daniel Smith, David Warner. Overseas players: Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle.