Sydney Thunder rookie Ollie Davies lights up a lockdown in Big Bash debut

She needn't have worried as Ollie Davies played a starring role, belting 36 from 21 balls in the Sydney Thunder's seven-wicket win over the Perth Scorchers at Manuka Oval.

The 20-year-old's parents Kevin and Simone and a group of mates were desperate to get to Canberra, but well before game day they were in lockdown on Sydney's northern beaches.

"I gave both mum and dad a call this morning so that was quite exciting. It was a little disappointing they couldn't come down with everything that's happening up there at the moment," Davies said after admitting he didn't get much sleep in the wake of his debut.

"They still got to watch it on TV which was good, but obviously not the same as in person. At least they still got to see it.

MORE SPORT

"Mum gets really nervous when I bat, like extremely nervous. Dad called me this morning and said he had never seen her so nervous sitting at home watching it.

"Especially sitting home watching it on TV and not being there in person, she was all over the place I heard.

"My younger brother is coming through the ranks now, he played under 16s for Australia. Dad is going on 55 now, but he still plays in shires cricket back in Sydney.

"Both my mum and my older sister love watching it as well. We've got a pretty cricket-mad family I'd say."

As if you could expect anything different.

Davies' grandfather Derek Leon played for Queens Park in Trinidad, the club which would prove home to the likes of Brian Lara.

In more recent years its the Queens Park pathway has opened the door for players like Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, and Shannon Gabriel to emerge.

They say Leon was more than a handy cricketer in his day, and it seems the talent runs in the family.

"He passed away when I was four or five so I didn't get a lot of time with him," Davies said.

"From what my nan and mum tell me, he was a pretty good cricketer. He played a lot for Queens Park over in Trinidad.

"When the West Indies used to play in Australia, Clive Lloyd used to come over and spend time with mum's family, that was pretty cool to hear. He would always come over and spend some time with mum's family."

The Thunder, who play the Melbourne Renegades on Boxing Day, are preparing to spend Christmas in their Canberra hub with Davies set to be away from his family as part of the sacrifice of life in the Big Bash hub.

"A lot of the boys that aren't based in NSW or Sydney have family coming down now, they're slowly starting to make their way in. A couple of partners have come in over the past couple of weeks," Davies said.

"Chris Green, who is also from Manly, and assistant coach Shawn Bradstreet, were thinking about having some family down but that looks very unlikely now due to everything happening on the beaches.

"We knew this was going to be a possibility at the start of the season so it's not a big shock."

And Davies says the lifestyle and restrictions inside the Thunder hub aren't too bad.

A games room at the bottom of the team hotel has become a home away from home for the rising star with table tennis, a pinball machine, arcade machines, and a basketball hoop.