Shadab Khan pulls out of Sydney Thunder’s remainder BBL campaign

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has decided against returning to Australia to join his Big Bash League (BBL) franchise, Sydney Thunder. Shadab flew to Sri Lanka in the middle of the Thunder’s campaign to join the national side for a three-match T20I series.

Shadab didn’t return after the Sri Lanka series

Following the conclusion of the series, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Shadab was expected to rejoin his BBL team. However, he announced through his social handle that he will not be returning to the league this year. 

“Thank you to Sydney Thunder for having me. I had a great time with the group. We couldn’t quite get over the line this time, but I enjoyed every moment of the journey and would love to go further in the future,” he wrote.

“A big thank you to the players, management, and support staff for the support throughout. May you all have a great year ahead.”

Reason behind pulling out of the BBL

It is understood that the reason Shadab pulled out was that the Thunder were already disqualified from the playoff race. Additionally, the all-rounder is likely to be included in the T20 World Cup next month, which means he is expected to be part of the lead-up to the tournament, including the T20I series against Australia. 

Thunder had a terrible season this year, as they are on track to finish the group stage at the bottom of the table. They won only two games the entire season, and their last fixture against city rivals, the Sydney Sixers, can hardly make things better for them. 

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