In an unusual turn of events, Sydney Thunder assistant coach and former Aussie all-rounder Dan Christian has decided to step in as a replacement player to help an injury-hit Sydney Thunder franchise remain afloat in the BBL-14 season. By doing so, he will make his way to an elite group of players who have participated in the BBL earlier aged 40 and beyond including the likes of Brad Hogg, Brad Hodge, Peter Siddle, Fawad Ahmed, and the late Shane Warne.

The call was made following an infamous on-field collision between Dan Sams and Cam Bancroft, the former being ruled out for the rest of the tournament. Sams, on the other hand, continues to be under the supervision of the medical staff amidst stringent concussion protocols and is expected to be back at a later stage in the tournament. With effectively two men short, Dan Christian's inclusion was perhaps the only option open for the team management to fill the massive void.

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More about the stalwart all-rounder

Prior to taking up the coaching responsibilities for the Thunder, Dan was last seen in action as a professional cricket player for the Sydney Sixers a couple of seasons ago. The 41-year-old allrounder has not been involved in any form of professional cricket since the semi-final loss to the Brisbane Heat in the BBL-12 season but has been maintaining his fitness actively with UNSW and has regularly taken part in the NSW Premier Cricket competition.

Dan confirms that he will remain available for Sydney Thunder for the remainder of the tournament and wishes Sams and Bancroft a swift recovery after their accident. 

"The incident with Cam Bancroft and Dan Sams was extremely unfortunate, but I'm really grateful for the opportunity it's presented. I wish them all the best with their recoveries and hope they'll be back on the park soon."

Dan Christian's immediate impact in the ongoing BBL clash with Brisbane Heat

The Australian all-rounder has made a resounding re-entry to professional cricket during the 25th fixture of the BBL-14 edition between Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat. He played a vital role with the bat and helped Thunder reach a respectable score of 173. The 41-year-old launched a brutal counter-offensive towards the backend of the innings and slammed an unbeaten 23* off 15 which featured two sixes.

His blistering cameo serves as a powerful reminder that the cricketer-turned-coach still has some cricket left in him. However, Dan's potential with the ball did not come to light as, at the time of writing, the innings interval was currently underway.  

Netherlands has added Gary Kirsten and Dan Christian to their coaching staff on short-term deals for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. Kirsten’s academy in Cape Town, where Netherlands coach Ryan Cook has worked for a number of years. Hosted the squad for a training camp in late September ahead of the tournament, while Christian joined up with the team in Adelaide after their recent arrival in Australia.

“We are very excited to welcome both Gary Kirsten and Dan Christian to our coaching staff for the T20 World Cup,”. Roland Lefebvre, the KNCB’s high performance manager, said. “They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. Which will be of great help in the lead-up to and during the World Cup.” Kirsten has been part of three previous T20 World Cups as a head coach – in 2009 and 2010 with India, and in 2012 with South Africa. But his sides have never progressed as far as the semi-finals.

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Short-term deals to work with the Netherlands team

This year, he was the batting coach as Gujarat Titans won IPL 2022. But his Welsh Fire side endured a winless season in the Hundred, picking up the wooden spoon. “I really enjoyed working with the Dutch team in Cape Town and I look forward to joining them as a consultant in the T20 World Cup,” Kirsten said. “I was impressed with the level of skill and professionalism during the camp. They will be ready and determined to make a big impact at the T20 World Cup.”

Christian was part of Australia’s squads for the 2010, 2012 and 2014 T20 World Cups and was a travelling reserve when they won the 2021 edition in the UAE. He has extensive knowledge of conditions at each venue for the 2022 edition as the most-capped player in Big Bash history. Christian added: “I’ve had a great couple of weeks getting to know the guys, and I’ve been extremely impressed with everyone’s work ethic at practice. I’m looking forward to seeing them have some well-deserved success on the field.” Netherlands played on Monday, losing to Scotland by 18 runs, and will play West Indies in Melbourne on Wednesday before travelling to Geelong for their first-round fixtures against UAE, Namibia and Sri Lanka.