Sydney Thunder skipper out for first win over cross-town rivals in BBL|05 opener
'Hurt' Hussey ready to rumble
Of all seven consecutive losses to cross-town rivals the Sydney Sixers in the KFC Big Bash League, it was last season's epic defeat that hurt Sydney Thunder skipper Mike Hussey the most.
The fifth season of the BBL opens at Spotless Stadium on Thursday night when the Thunder aim to register their first win over the Sixers in eight matches.
But it was the seventh, when Sixers batsman Jordan Silk snatched the game away with an unbeaten 69 off 43 balls that has haunted the Thunder since last season.
"It hurt a lot that night, for sure," Hussey recalled on Wednesday.
"It certainly hurt me a lot and I know a few of the guys who were a part of that game last year, it hurt them a lot, too.
"I don't think you need any extra motivation in a big game like the start of the tournament, but it certainly did hurt."
The Thunder are confident of an improved season in 2015-16 after signing a host of big names headed by former Test star Shane Watson and West Indian Twenty20 specialist Andre Russell.
The duo join an impressive list that already includes Jacques Kallis and Usman Khawaja, who will miss the Sixers match due to a hamstring injury.
Hussey, 40, believes the perennial battlers have no excuses this time not to make an impact in the competition.
"We've got a healthy list, we've got a lot of exciting talent and we've got a bit more depth than what we've had in the past," he said.
"So if things don't go to plan - you get an injury or an Australian selection - then I feel like we've got the depth to be able to cover that.
"There's certainly no excuses coming into this season."
After practising at Spotless Stadium on Tuesday, Hussey said he was also confident of some higher scores on a pitch that was recently lifted from ANZ Stadium across the road.
The drop-in pitch averaged 176 runs per innings in two matches last season - the highest at any ground in the BBL.
"We had a practice out there last night and the pitch played really well," Hussey said.
"We've actually got the two pitches from the ANZ Stadium over, and they played really well last year. We're hoping for just a good track, really."
Squads
Sydney Thunder: Michael Hussey (c), Fawad Ahmed, Ahillen Beadle, Aiden Blizzard, Patrick Cummins, Jake Doran, Chris Green, Chris Hartley, Jacques Kallis (OS), Usman Khawaja, Alister McDermott, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Andre Russell (OS), Gurinder Sandhu, Shane Watson.
Sydney Sixers: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Doug Bollinger, Johan Botha (OS), Ryan Carters, Ben Dwarshius, Michael Edwards, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques (c), Trent Lawford, Michael Lumb (OS), Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O'Keefe, Jordan Silk, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc