Sydney Thunder players Oliver Davis and Tanvir Sangha reminded fans of Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Malik’s embarrassing dropped catches in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2024-25. Davis and Sangha waited for each other and did not attempt to take an easy catch off Nikhil Chaudhary, which allowed the ball to come between them.
Sydney Thunder begin their campaign against the Hobart Hurricanes in Hobart on Tuesday, 16 December. Regular captain David Warner missed the match, but is expected to return for the Sydney Smash against the Sixers. The Thunder scored a total of 181 runs, leaving the Hurricanes a challenging target to chase.
WATCH: Oliver Davis and Tanvir Sangha recreate Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Malik’s missed catch
Sydney Thunder missed a clear chance after a mistake in the deep early in the innings. On the second ball of the second over, Nikhil Chaudhary hit a top-edge shot off Daniel Sams, due to which the ball went in the air towards the leg-side boundary.
Tanveer Sangha and Ollie Davis both moved towards the ball but hesitated, each hoping the other would take the catch. With no clear call, the ball fell safely between them, allowing Chaudhary to escape and take a run. Due to this mistake, Sams looked quite disappointed as Thunder missed out on taking early wickets.
The mistake brought back memories for fans of the famous fielding mix-up involving Shoaib Malik and Saeed Ajmal. The incident occurred during a 2008 ODI match, when Chris Gayle took a high catch, and both Pakistan players hesitated, resulting in a missed opportunity.
Wait for it… #bbl15 pic.twitter.com/QqMktlyf0d
– KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) 16 December 2025
Sydney Thunder recovered from early setbacks to reach 180/6
Sydney Thunder were asked to bat first and Matthew Gilkes scored 20 runs from seven balls before being dismissed at the end of the second over. With Sam Konstas and Cameron Bancroft at the crease, the Thunder reached 46/1 at the end of the powerplay.
After spreading in the field, Hobart Hurricane tightened the screws. Konstas struggled to get away and was out for 28, while Chris Jordan struck twice in an over to dismiss Sam Billings (3) and Oliver Davies (2), leaving the Thunder in trouble at 79/4 after 10 overs.
After this, Cameron Bancroft took the innings forward with Shadab Khan. Bancroft began the recovery by playing a composed innings and completed his half-century in 37 balls as the pair added 59 runs. In the 17th over, Billy Stanlake ended the stand by dismissing Bancroft for 61 runs in 44 balls.
Shadab was out for 34 in the final over, but Daniel Sams remained unbeaten on 23, taking the Thunder to 180/6. For the Hurricanes, Stanlake was the best of the bowlers with 3/34, while Jordan took 2/36 and Nathan Ellis took 1/39.
Playing XI of Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes
sydney thunder: Sam Constas, Matthew Gilkes, Cameron Bancroft, Oliver Davies, Sam Billings(w), Shadab Khan, Daniel Sams, Chris Green(c), Nathan McAndrew, Tanvir Sangha, Reece Topley.
Hobart Hurricane: Mitchell Owen, Nikhil Chaudhary, Rehan Ahmed, Ben McDermott, Tim David, Matthew Wade (w), Chris Jordan, Nathan Ellis (c), Rishad Hussain, Riley Meredith, Billy Stanlake.
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