New Delhi: Former Australia allrounder Dan Christian has been named as a replacement player by Sydney Thunder due to the injury crisis in the ongoing season of the Big Bash League (BBL).

He has been working as the assistant coach of the team for the last two years but now will be available for selection for the clash against Brisbane Heat on Monday, January 6.

Christian played his last match in the BBL during the 2022-23 season against the Brisbane Heat. The decision to include him in the squad was taken due to the unavailability of five players. Top-order batter Jason Sangha has a bicep injury while spinner Tanveer Sangha is out due to a side strain.

Opener Sam Konstas is also unavailable due to the national commitments with the Australian cricket team while Cameron Bancroft and Daniel Sams were involved in the horrific on-field collision in the last match. Bancroft has been ruled out of the entire BBL season due to a broken nose and a fractured shoulder and Sams will also miss a few matches due to concussion.

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'Really grateful for the opportunity': Dan Christian

Dan Christian said that he's committed to his coaching role with the team and has enjoyed working with the Sydney Thunder squad.

'I made the decision during the off-season that a return to the BBL or any other T20 league was never entirely off the table for me. I've been playing NSW Premier Cricket with UNSW Cricket Club, and training hard. The body feels great, and I wanted to ensure I was prepared if an opportunity arose' Christian said

He also talked about the on-field incident between Bancroft and Sams and said that it was extremely unfortunate but he's grateful for the opportunity and wished them well with their recoveries.