Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has been announced as the Head Coach of the Sydney Thunder ahead of the 2026-27 Big Bash League (BBL). The former England Lions coach will take up a role outside of his home country for the first time in his career. 

Flintoff has had previous experience working in a franchise league. The 48-year-old coached the Northern Superchargers (now Sunrisers Leeds) for two seasons, guiding them to fourth and third-place finishes. 

The former all-rounder expressed his excitement to join the Sydney Thunder and work alongside well-established superstars and some of the brightest talents in Australian cricket. Flintoff will have a huge task ahead of him after the Thunder finished at the foot of the standings in the most recent BBL campaign with just two wins to their name. 

“I can’t wait to get over there and get started. 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 19’s, against one of my lads – incredible talent. Matthew Gilkes and Tanveer Sangha are the same," Flintoff said on the side's official website. 

“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," he added.

“This is a huge day in the history of Sydney Thunder, and the BBL more broadly.  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," Sydney Thunder General Manager Trent Copeland said.  

It is worth mentioning that Flintoff played one season in the BBL during the twilight of his career. He represented the Brisbane Heat during the 2014-15 season, where he played seven matches before hanging up his boots.