BBL: England bowler David Willey won’t play for Sydney Thunder this season

The No.1 pick in the inaugural BBL draft has been joined by another Englishman in being a withdrawal from the tournament.

Two days after securing a T20 World Cup winner’s medal as part of England’s triumphant squad, David Willey has joined the list of withdrawals from the Big Bash after Sydney Thunder agreed to terminate his contract.

Willey, who is also part of England’s ODI squad for upcoming matches against Australia, was the platinum signing for the Sydney Thunder in the inaugural BBL draft in August, taken at pick seven by the club.

But the 32-year-old and the Thunder came to a “mutual agreement to terminate his contract” in a blow to the tournament that also lost No.1 pick and fellow World Cup winner Liam Livingstone to international duties.

The Thunder has England opener Alex Hales on their list but will now start the process of finding a replacement for Willey, potentially from a pool of other World Cup players.

While he was disappointed to lose Willey, Sydney Thunder head Andrew Gilchrist respected the England international’s decision.

“David and his management have been tremendous to deal with,” Gilchrist said.

“Sydney Thunder regrets David won’t be playing for us this season, but we wish him and his family all the very best for the future.”

🌏🏆🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🥇 pic.twitter.com/DqbHLjPOLU

— David Willey (@david_willey) November 14, 2022

Gilchrist was adamant the Thunder still had loads of star power on its list, including South African Rilee Rossouw, one of just two century makers during the T20 World Cup.

“Alex Hales has been a star for England’s T20 World Cup campaign and Riley proved while playing for South Africa how dangerous he can be,” he said.

“We also have the best signing of the season in Dave Warner, while Jason Sangha, Chris Green, Tanveer Sangha, Ben Cutting, and Matthew Gilkes are among the best in the business.

“There is a lot for Thunder Nation to be excited about.”

The Thunder plays the opening match of the new Big Bash season against the Melbourne Stars on December 13 in Canberra.

David Willey won’t be playing with the Thunder. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Originally published as BBL: England bowler David Willey won’t play for Sydney Thunder this season