Sydney Thunder have confirmed former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff will take over as their new BBL coach in what the club has described as "the most significant off-field acquisition in club history".
Flintoff will coach in the BBL for the first time having only had prior T20 coaching experience in a two-year stint as Northern Superchargers (now Sunrisers Leeds) coach in the Hundred in 2024 and 2025, finishing fourth and third respectively. He has also been England Lions coach, England's A side, in the last 12 months, including leading Lions on a tour of Australia last summer that shadowed the Ashes tour. His appointment to Thunder will likely impact his involvement with the England Lions tour to South Africa in December, which will clash with the start of the BBL.
Flintoff also briefly worked with England's white-ball squads as a consultant when Matthew Mott was coach.
Thunder general manager Trent Copeland described the appointment as an enormous moment for his club and the BBL.
"This is a huge day in the history of Sydney Thunder, and the BBL more broadly," Copeland said. "Fred brings something truly unique to Sydney Thunder. He's a global icon of the game, but more importantly he is a modern leader who understands how to build high-performance environments, connect with players as people, and set standards that last. His passion for the game, coaching itself and knowledge of Australian cricket and our Thunder program stood out during the process.
"The goal here isn't just about the now; it's about a step-change to establishing a culture and identity that will set us up for sustained success for years to come."
Flintoff takes over from former England ODI World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss, who departed Thunder after five years at the helm, including reaching the BBL final in 2024-25. But Thunder finished last in the 2023-24 and 2025-26 seasons during Bayliss' tenure.
Flintoff does have BBL playing experience, having played seven matches for Brisbane Heat in the 2014-15 season. "I can't wait to get over there and get started," he said. "I'm looking at this with a lot of optimism. You look at the franchise, you look at the players, you look at the support, and I think there's something really big to build on.
"You look at the squad and it's a real nice mix. You've got David Warner, Chris Green, Daniel Sams - some of these older guys are established cricketers, and you just want to provide an environment where they can go out there and flourish. We've seen how good they are. I saw Sam Konstas play against England Under-19s, against one of my lads - incredible talent. Matthew Gilkes and Tanveer Sangha are the same.
"I want our players to connect with the people that come and see us. I want them to enjoy playing cricket. However, all that is underpinned by hard work... I want them to play with passion and leave everything out there on the field. You look around the world now and everyone gets the opportunity to play for all different teams but one of my aims over the time with Sydney Thunder is that every player looks back thinking 'that's the best part of the year, that's a team that I want to play for'.
"I'm excited to come over, get involved and coach this team. I'm here to do the best job I possibly can for the team and everybody that comes out and supports us."
One of Flintoff's first decisions as coach will surround the captaincy future of David Warner after he was charged with drink driving in April. Warner is expected to plead guilty when his matter will return to court on June 24.