At a glance
- Sydney Thunder set to name Flintoff as BBL coach
- Replaces former England coach Bayliss
- Played in BBL with Brisbane Heat in 2014-15
Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is closing in on the Sydney Thunder coaching role in a shock BBL move.
Thunder are in need of a new coach after parting ways with Trevor Bayliss. England’s 2019 ODI World Cup winning coach had five years at the helm.
He guided the Thunder to the BBL Final in 2024-25. However, the Thunder finished last in the season before and after that final appearance. Flintoff played for Brisbane Heat in 2014-15, playing seven games.
Flintoff’s Coaching Experience
Flintoff has coached the England Lions, leading them on a tour of Australia last winter that shadowed the Ashes tour. Whether he continues as Lions’ coach is still to be decided, as the Lions are due to tour South Africa in December. That will clash with the start of the BBL season. The Lions are due to play three one-day games and two four-day games on the tour.
Flintoff spent two season as coach with Northern Superchargers in the Hundred in 2024 and 2025. He won’t coach them this season after failing to agree terms with the franchise’s new Indian owners Sun Group, who have renamed the team Sunrisers Leeds.
Under Flintoff, the Superchargers finished fourth and third in his two seasons in charge. However, he revealed on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, that he had never thought about coaching until the then Superchargers director of cricket, now England selector Marcus North, rang him out of the blue to gauge his interest in doing it.
One of Flintoff’s first decisions as coach will surround the captaincy future of David Warner after he was charged with drink driving in April. Warner is expected to plead guilty when his matter will return to court in June.
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