Excitement machine Ollie Davies is dreaming of more magical Manuka nights after penning a three-year contract extension with the Sydney Thunder.
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The 20-year-old burst onto the Big Bash scene at Manuka Oval last summer, blasting five monstrous sixes in consecutive deliveries in just his second match and instantly becoming a Canberra cult hero.
He finished the season with eight BBL matches under his belt, before making a mark for NSW on his one-day debut, blasting 57 from 41 balls against Victoria and announcing himself as a serious cricketing prospect.
Davies played four times at Manuka Oval last summer, and is due to return on December 6 when the Thunder open their BBL campaign against the Brisbane Heat.
"The support we had from everyone down in Canberra was amazing, to have them get around me in my first two games it made me feel really comfortable going out there." Davies said
"I love playing in Canberra. . .coming back to play cricket I am looking forward to playing at Manuka specifically."
Davies' signature continues a huge offseason for the Thunder, since World Cup winning coach Trevor Bayliss took over from New Zealander Shane Bond.
Usman Khawaja, Chris Green, Daniel Sams and Tanveer Sangha have also signed recent contract extensions.
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The classy youngster is only expected to improve this summer after training alongside the likes of former Australian captain while with NSW.
"I am feeding of them big time, I had a field session yesterday where we paired up and I was with Smudge [Steve Smith] and he was giving me tips, and you know he is one of the best fielders in the world," Davies said.
"I definitely love feeding off them and I ask as many questions as possible without annoying them, they're great people to work with and they defiantly give me a lot of feedback I can use for my game.
"[I can go out there and] play my game, play with freedom and not worry about losing my contract, I've got that security there to go out and play the way I want to play."
Bayliss was excited by the prospect of linking up with Davies.
"According to a lot of people, he's got a bright future," Bayliss said.
"From what I did see last year, he's obviously a good striker of the cricket ball and I'm looking forward to working closely with him over these next three years."
The Thunder are also set to host the Perth Scorchers at Manuka Oval on December 28.
