Thunder captain says he has 'plenty more to give' after signing on for BBL|16
Ageless Warner to play on past 40 with Sydney Thunder
David Warner will play on in the Big Bash past the age of 40 after signing a one-year extension with Sydney Thunder.
Warner has been in imperious touch since joining the Big Bash full-time following his international retirement and finished the KFC BBL|15 regular season as the competition's leading run-scorer with 433 at an average of 86.60.
The veteran opener will turn 40 in October but is slowing no signs of slowing down, notching a second BBL century (130 not out against Hobart on January 3) more than 14 years after his first, before bringing up a third three games later (110no against the Sixers).
Warner has gone past 400 runs in each of the past two BBL seasons, with no other player within 200 of his mark of 838 runs at almost 60 during that period.
Thunder general manager Trent Copeland said it was a no brainer to extend Warner's contract after another huge season, in which he was named captain of the Team of the Tournament for the second consecutive year.
"We're stoked that Davey is staying on for another season," he said. "He's had an incredible year, not only is he one of the greatest T20 players in the world over the last 15 years but still is very clearly one of the best batters in the BBL and his fitness levels are elite.
"His hunger and his drive as a leader to improve upon a disappointing season for the squad is as strong as ever."
The new deal locks away Warner at the Thunder before the post-season trade and free agency period, the club's eighth of 10 roster spots permitted to be filled prior to a league contracting embargo coming into force on at 5pm AEDT on Tuesday, January 27.
The Player Movement Window, where players can be traded and eligible free agents move to new clubs, then begins the following day at 9am.
After leading the Thunder to the BBL Final last season, Warner's side crashed back to earth in BBL|15 as they finished bottom of the table with just two wins.
The Thunder's next most prolific batter this season (Matthew Gilkes with 232 runs) scored just over half of what Warner did, while they only had one bowler (Daniel Sams – 12) take more than 10 wickets.
"It was certainly a challenging year for us," he said. "We are a much better team than what we put on the field this season and were unable to put a consistent game together.
"But the support from our fans – turning up in numbers every game – it played a massive role in my decision to stay.
"I feel I've got plenty more to give to this team and to this game.
"I felt pretty comfortable with my performance and was proud to give the team a fighting chance.
"We've already begun reviewing the season and putting the right plans in place to ensure we deliver a much stronger campaign in BBL|16."
BBL|15 finals schedule
Qualifier: Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Sixers by 48 runs
Knockout: Hobart Hurricanes beat Melbourne Stars by three runs (DLS method)
Challenger: Sydney Sixers v Hobart Hurricanes, SCG (Friday, January 23, 7.15pm AEDT)
Final: Perth Scorchers v winner of Challenger, Optus Stadium (Sunday, January 25, 7.15pm AEDT)
*A reserve day on Monday, January 26 (7.15pm AEDT) is available for the Final
KFC BBL|15 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
SCO
|
10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.363 | 0 | 14 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.605 | 0 | 13 |
|
3
HUR
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.331 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
STA
|
10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.759 | 0 | 12 |
|
5
HEA
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -0.431 | 0 | 10 |
|
6
STR
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.231 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
REN
|
10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.202 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
THU
|
10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -1.212 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points