Warner has landed: Helicopter touches down at SCG ahead of BBL clash

David Warner touched down at the SCG in a helicopter ahead of Sydney Thunder's BBL clash against Sydney Sixers on Friday.

Warner flew in from his brother's wedding in the Hunter Valley and arrived at the ground just before 5pm. He landed on the outfield close to where the "Thanks Dave" logo was painted during his farewell Test.

The fixture, which will feature Steven Smith for Sydney Sixers, is a sellout.

"I've done my utmost best to get down here and hopefully put some runs on the board," Warner told Channel 7. "I might look like a bit of a goose if I don't get any runs but it's my contribution to not just the BBL but Australian cricket. I want to be out here. I want to entertain. I want to try and help our team win the next three games."

"He's going to a lot of effort to come and play for us," Thunder quick Gurinder Sandhu said. "We love having him here. Last year he was awesome for us, maybe didn't score as many runs as he would have liked but around the group and passing on knowledge was awesome to have him around. He's one of the better team men. All the fans get to enjoy him playing cricket."

Sean Abbott of Sixers joked the day before: "He is a bit Hollywood, isn't he, that's very Davey. I got the Lime bike in today and I'll be doing the same tomorrow night and riding out the gate as Davey lands.

Things you thought you'd never see on a cricket ground!

David Warner arrives at the BBL in a helicopter pic.twitter.com/8529s5oBJh

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 12, 2024

"I'm glad they are making it happen because think everyone in the country who is a fan of cricket wants to see David Warner in the BBL and I'm really looking forward to coming up against him. One of the best players in the world and has been for a long time."

Ahead of last season, Warner signed a big-money two-year deal with Thunder as Cricket Australia made a huge push to get international stars back into the tournament. He has indicated his desire to return next season although will fit appearances around his commentary work on the India Test series.

The game against Sixers is set to be one of three appearances Warner will make for Thunder this season following his Test retirement. The club only have a slim chance of reaching the knockouts but Warner would have been unavailable for those as he will head to the ILT20 in the UAE.

However, he is now expected to return from that tournament to be part of the T20I series against West Indies having remained available in that format ahead of a final international retirement after the T20 World Cup in June.