Thunder elect to move Sydney Smash away from home venue

Feedback from players, coaches and fans has prompted the Sydney Thunder to move their highly anticipated clash with cross-town rivals the Sixers away from their home venue in Blacktown.

Two Weber WBBL matches scheduled for Blacktown on November 2 have now been moved to North Sydney Oval, the Sixers home ground.

The Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Stars clash has also been moved, and will start at 3.30pm AEDT, while the Thunder v Sixers clash stars at 7.05pm.

Thunder coach Trevor Griffin said the decision to relocate awy from Blacktown was made "to provide the players with every opportunity to go out and play an exciting – and entertaining – brand of cricket for our supporters and the wider sporting public".

It will be the first Sydney Smash played in New South Wales since WBBL|06, after both clubs spent the entirety of last season on the road due to border closures.

Griffin said the move was needed "for the WBBL to remain at the forefront" of women's T20 competitions, and Cricket NSW CEO Lee Germon added: “We aspire to be world leading in our dedication to our women’s programs and this decision gives us another chance to demonstrate that."

Four matches were played at Blacktown International Sportspark during the first week of WBBL|08, including three featuring the Thunder.

All were low-scoring affairs, with sides tackling tricky batting conditions.

The highest first-innings total across the four matches was Hobart Hurricanes’ 7-144 against the Thunder, while the hosts went winless in three matches that saw them score 9-106 and 8-88 when batting first, before they were bowled out for 95 against the Hurricanes.

That final match produced one of the more humorous moments of the season to date, when the start of the match was briefly delayed as the Thunder fielders lay on the ground to avoid a group of territorial plovers intent on swooping the players.

A statement from the Big Bash League said: "The League has endorsed a request from host club Sydney Thunder to move the matches, in line with our commitment to delivering a world class experience for fans and players of all clubs."

Both rescheduled matches will be broadcast on Foxtel, Kayo Sports and cricket.com.au.

Tickets for Weber WBBL and KFC BBL games are on sale now. Get yours at cricket.com.au/big-bash