Davies, Cutting riding Thunder’s BBL wave

Jasper Bruce | January 1, 2023

Ollie Davies and Ben Cutting have gone from surfing buddies to rivals for BBL selection with the resurgent Sydney Thunder. 

And young batter Davies would not have it any other way.

The 22-year-old began the season batting at seven for the Thunder but has thrived since being promoted up the order following a collarbone injury to captain Jason Sangha.

On New Year’s Eve, he hit the highest score of his fledgling BBL career, 65, as the Thunder posted 6-228 – the fourth-largest total in tournament history – on their way to beating the Hobart Hurricanes.

The win was Thunder’s third straight after a similar run of defeats and has them second in the ladder at 4-3.

That match was also Cutting’s first of the summer. 

Sangha’s injury and the termination of Fazalhaq Farooqi’s contract had opened up spots in the XI but it wasn’t until fellow paceman Gurinder Sandhu went down with a calf strain that the 35-year-old allrounder got his chance.

Davies and Cutting are good mates despite the 13-year age gap and went surfing together last summer at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast while the Thunder were on the road.

But Davies admits he was partially to blame for the former Australia international’s surprising absence at the beginning of the BBL summer.

“In the first few games, it was sort of between me and him batting in that number seven spot so he’s been a bit unlucky in that sense,” Davies told AAP.

“We are mates but in the end it’s Ben’s career and it’s my career. 

“Whilst you’re trying to win games and do well, you’re also competing with those boys that are trying to get a permanent spot in the side. 

“There’s that element of competition in the squad but we’re all really close.”

Cutting took his chance with both hands on Saturday and claimed the big wicket of Matthew Wade, who had the Hurricanes on track to pull off the largest successful run chase in BBL history with 67 runs off just 30 balls.

The prize scalp came from Cutting’s second delivery of the tournament.

“A couple of people have gone down and it gave him an opportunity to have a bowl and he got the big wicket of Wade,” Davies said.

“I’m so happy he took his chance.”