Bunbury’s Sam Whiteman makes Sydney Thunder debut, ending seven-year Perth Scorchers stint with late shift

Sam Whiteman has begun life as a Sydney Thunder player after sealing an 11th-hour move to the Big Bash League franchise. It is the first time the Bunbury product has moved away from Perth Scorchers and brings an end to a seven-year stint at the club which included three championships. The West Australian reported in November that Whiteman was eyeing a move east after not featuring at all last season, forced out of the side by Josh Inglis and high-profile import Jason Roy, who opened the batting. Whiteman, pictured, joins the Thunder as a replacement player for Usman Khawaja, who will travel with Australia’s test squad for at least the first two games of the Ashes series. The 29-year-old filled Khawaja’s spot at the top of the order alongside English star Alex Hales for the Thunder’s season opener against Brisbane in Canberra on Monday night. But he fell for 11 — caught at deep backward square in an effort to dispatch fellow former Scorcher Liam Guthrie. It came after Hales was the first to fall, before either opener had troubled the scorers. Whiteman pulled a back-of-a-length ball from Guthrie to the mid-wicket boundary before lap-sweeping Jack Wildermuth for four as part of a fledgling partnership with number three Matt Gilkes. The move means an opportunity to play under England 50-over World Cup winning coach Trevor Bayliss. The Thunder play again on Friday night — set to meet the Melbourne Stars at the MCG, before playing the same side again at home on Sunday. In his time at the Scorchers, Whiteman played 38 times, first as a wicket-keeper before reinventing himself as a batter and moving to the top of the order. He made 517 runs for the club and was one of only two players — along with coach Adam Voges — to have played in all three of the franchise’s titles.