Bond calls time on BBL coaching stint with Thunder

The Sydney Thunder are on the lookout for a new head coach after Shane Bond put his family first and opted for a summer at home rather than return to the KFC BBL.

Bond is also bowling coach with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, currently with the franchise in Delhi in a strict biosecurity bubble as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps through the general population.

Bond joined the Thunder in March 2018 to take up his first head coach role after three seasons as an assistant coach at the Brisbane Heat under Daniel Vettori, leading the club to back-to-back finals appearances the past two summers.

"I loved my time with the Thunder but with so much uncertainty around travel restrictions these days and not knowing what that might look like I just didn't want to miss another summer at home," Bond said.

"I haven't had one there for six years and my wife Tracey has had to carry the load. I want to be there again before I get to the point where my girls get to the end of high school. My son has some important cricket coming up too and I want to be there for that."

Bond's exit is the second major coaching change in Sydney this week after Cricket NSW moved Dominic Thornley on from his role with the NSW Breakers side to a role in male pathway development.

The Thunder are also hunting for a new skipper for BBL|11 and beyond after the club sensationally sacked former captain Callum Ferguson last summer.

The 36-year-old Ferguson was the Thunder's second-leading run-scorer in BBL|10 – behind only England import Alex Hales – having piled up 405 runs at 31.15 at a strike rate of 123.85, all while leading the Thunder to third on the BBL|10 ladder with eight wins from their 14 games in the regular season.

Bond singled out Ferguson for thanks in his farewell statement from the club as "our captain and someone I worked very closely with".

Ferguson was this week picked up the Lahore Qalanders in the draft for the resumption of the Pakistan Super League T20 competition in June.

Bond had been out of contract after BBL|10 but Cricket NSW Head of Cricket Greg Mail said the 45-year-old former New Zealand quick would have been welcomed back next summer.

"He has been critical to the emergence of some brilliant young NSW based talent over the last two years whilst also bringing the best out of some of our established local and international players," Mail said in a statement.

"We are a values-based organisation and although we would have loved to have seen Shane at the helm next summer, choosing to spend time with his family is a decision we respect.

"His decision sits well with us and we wish Shane, Tracey and family all the best. We hope there's a second chapter in the Bond/Thunder story somewhere down the track."

The Melbourne Renegades are also in the hunt for a new head coach after Michael Klinger left his post at the club to take up a role at Cricket NSW as head of male cricket.

Bond leaves the club with eight players on the books for BBL|11, while clubs have been unable to recruit with the annual contracting embargo in place while league administrators review the previous season.

A number of new rules were introduced last summer, and plans for an international draft are yet to be finalised.

Sydney Thunder BBL|11 list so far: Ben Cutting, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Usman Khawaja, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Chris Tremain, Tanveer Sangha.