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Sydney Thunder snap up Morris for BBL

3 minute read

South African allrounder Chris Morris will play for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League this year.

CHRIS MORRIS of South Africa during the ICC Cricket World Cup between Pakistan and South Africa at Lords in London, England. Picture: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

The Sydney Thunder have snapped up South African allrounder Chris Morris as their overseas player for the upcoming Big Bash League season.

Morris, who has played four Tests, 42 One-Day Internationals and 23 Twenty-20 Internationals, joins the club on a one-year deal.

The world-class all-rounder has a wealth of experience in the Indian Premier League, playing a total of 61 matches since his debut in 2013.

He boasts impressive bowling figures with 69 wickets at an average of 24.76, while also proving his value with the bat in the T20 format with 517 runs at an average of 27.21 and a strike rate of 157.62.

Morris said the ambition of playing in the BBL has been a long-held one.

"For me the way I looked at it was, it was part of my cricketing career bucket list," said Morris.

"It was a no brainer when Sydney Thunder came calling."

The 32-year old says he is looking forward to working with one of his childhood heroes, Thunder Head Coach Shane Bond.

"Chris is someone who I had my eye on. It's always great to have a player who can change the game with bat and ball," Bond said.

"He's an experienced, hardened cricketer who bowls 90mph and smacks it with the bat. Those players are very rare, so he brings a unique skill set."

This announcement follows the signing of emerging stars Matthew Gilkes, Jonathan Cook and Ollie Davies.

Sydney Thunder are set to open their ninth BBL campaign against the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba on December 17, before playing their first game in Sydney on January 2.