Ferguson out of BBL|15 as 'gutted' Thunder call on Willey

Kiwi speedster Lockie Ferguson will not be part of Sydney Thunder's KFC BBL|15 campaign after injuring his calf while playing in the United Arab Emirates tournament.

Ferguson was due to join the Thunder for the second straight summer after wrapping up his stint with ILT20 franchise Desert Vipers, but the Sydney club confirmed this morning he wouldn't recover in time to feature this season.

The 34-year-old right-armer pulled up short holding his right calf following the third delivery of his second over during the Vipers' December 21 clash with MI Emirates and took no further in the match after hobbling from the field.

He will now focus on his recovery ahead of next month's T20 World Cup, with New Zealand set to kick off their campaign on February 8 against Afghanistan in Chennai.

The Thunder redrafted Ferguson for BBL|15 with pick eight last June after he claimed eight wickets in six matches to begin last season with four wins during his six-game stint.

The Thunder have signed experienced English seam-bowling allrounder David Willey as his replacement for the rest of BBL|15, but club general manager Trent Copeland hopes to see Ferguson back in lime green next season.

"We're gutted that Lockie won't be with us this year," Copeland said.

"Not only does he bowl 150kph with an incredible amount of experience in all conditions, but he is genuinely one of the best humans in cricket and added so much to our squad culturally too.

"We wish Lockie all the best in the recovery ahead of the World Cup and hope to one day see him back playing for the Thunder."

Copeland added he hoped Willey, a veteran of 116 white-ball internationals for England, would provide the spark the Thunder needed to turn their BBL|15 season around.

"His bowling capabilities speak for themselves – being able to deliver tight, deceptive slower balls, yorkers, and cutters under pressure," he said.

"He also offers a pivotal role in the batting order as a clean hitting left-hander who can contribute valuable quickfire runs."

Willey will join the Thunder squad in Adelaide next week ahead of their clash with the Strikers on Tuesday, arriving from the UAE where he has taken six wickets in 10 games for Dubai Capitals.

The 35-year-old was previously drafted by the Thunder ahead of BBL|12 but didn't feature in the tournament. He played four seasons for Perth Scorchers between BBL|05 and |08, taking 27 wickets and scoring 229 runs in 27 games.

In another squad change, fellow left-arm quick Reece Topley has finished up with the Thunder this season and now heads to South Africa for a stint with Joburg Super Kings. Topley took five wickets in five games with a best return of 3-41 in their home Sydney Smash loss to the Sixers.

The Thunder's task of turning their season around doesn't get any easier after slipping to the bottom of the BBL|15 standings with a 1-4 record, as they next face reigning champions Hobart Hurricanes at Engie Stadium on Saturday night.

KFC BBL|15 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Melbourne Stars Men STA	4	4	0	0	0	1.779	0	8
2 Hobart Hurricanes Men HUR	6	4	2	0	0	0.017	0	8
3 Perth Scorchers Men SCO	5	3	2	0	0	1.248	0	6
4 Adelaide Strikers Men STR	4	2	2	0	0	0.395	0	4
5 Sydney Sixers Men SIX	5	2	3	0	0	0.202	0	4
6 Brisbane Heat Men HEA	5	2	3	0	0	-1.019	0	4
7 Melbourne Renegades Men REN	4	1	3	0	0	-0.879	0	2
8 Sydney Thunder Men THU	5	1	4	0	0	-1.463	0	2

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points