Andrew Flintoff has been named Sydney Thunder's new head coach, with the former England captain set to take charge of the Sydney-based club next summer in one of the biggest off-field moves of the Bbl off-season.

The 48-year-old said he could not wait to get started. Flintoff said he was looking at the job with optimism, adding that he saw a franchise, players and support that offered something "really big" to build on.

The appointment lands at a sharp moment for the Thunder. The club finished last summer with only two wins, a record that made the case for change impossible to ignore, and Flintoff replaces Trevor Bayliss after the Australian coach was stood down in February. Bayliss had been in charge for five seasons, but the rebuild now begins with one of cricket's most recognisable names at the top of it.

Flintoff knows the competition already. He played seven matches for the Brisbane Heat during the 2014/25 Big Bash and became a fan favourite during that spell, while his broader playing record includes 79 Tests and 141 ODIs for England between 1998 and 2009. He has also coached the English Lions and the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, giving him a route into the role that extends beyond his star power alone.

There is, though, a harder edge to the story than the name on the door. Sydney Thunder are not hiring a coach because everything is in place; they are hiring one after a two-win season that underlined how far the side had slipped, and Flintoff arrives with the task of restoring standards as much as results. In 2022, he was hospitalised after a car crash while filming a segment for Top Gear, a reminder that his public life has not been a straight line back to the professional game.

Thunder general manager Trent Copeland called it a huge day in the history of Sydney Thunder and the Bbl more broadly, saying Flintoff brings something truly unique and that his knowledge of Australian cricket and the Thunder program stood out in the process. Flintoff said he wants players to connect with the people who come to watch, enjoy their cricket and play with passion, and he added that he is excited to come over, get involved and coach the team. What remains unclear is the exact timing of his first day with the squad and how quickly he can turn a major appointment into a cleaner next summer for a club that badly needs one.