Sydney Thunder have retained Trevor Bayliss as coach for another BBL campaign

The Thunder confirmed on Monday that Bayliss will stay on for a fourth consecutive season, as the club battle to return to the BBL finals.

With Bayliss at the helm, the Thunder reached the finals in 2021-22 and 2022-23, before winning just one game last summer and finishing last.

“I’ve been here for three years and there’s probably a bit of unfinished business,” said Bayliss, who won the 2019 ODI World Cup with England. “We’ve been working on something for the last few years.

“With that and what we have done this year, we should be in a good position to win more games. Our desire should be to win this tournament.”

The Thunder have also signed up to play four games at the Sydney Showground next summer, an increase from the three they played last summer. They came because of a previous deal, which required the club to play two games in the summer in Canberra. That will drop to one in 2024-25.

“I’m a western Sydney boy, I’m still involved with the Penrith team here in western Sydney, and there’s a lot of interest in the Sydney Thunder,” he said. “There are always people who come out like this from games asking questions about the team.

“Because it’s part of the Thunder in western Sydney and close to where they live, rather than going to the SCG they can experience a Thunder game and watch their team play quality cricket.”

The Thunder have signed an early player ahead of next season, bringing in Wes Agar as part of a trade deal with the Adelaide Strikers. One of the biggest interests will be whether David Warner returns to the club with his previous contract expiring at the end of the 2023-24 season.