Cricket NSW has entrusted Nick Cummins as the man to turn around the off-field fortunes of troubled Big Bash League Twenty20 franchise Sydney Thunder.

Despite signing star batsman Chris Gayle, the Thunder managed two wins in the league’s inaugural season and failed to record a single victory in their 2012-13 BBL campaign.

Consecutive wooden spoons for the Thunder was a nightmare outcome for Cricket Australia (CA), who had hoped the lime-green outfit would shore up its presence in the city’s populous and multicultural western suburbs.

Instead the Thunder, based at ANZ Stadium, struggled to win over western Sydney’s sports fans – with miserable form compounded by the fact captain Michael Clarke did not play one match for the side.

The Thunder have since recruited Chandika Hathurusingha to replace coach Shane Duff, signed veteran batsman Mike Hussey, and now installed Cummins in place of sacked general manager John Dyson.

“It is crucial that we give the people of western Sydney a cricket club they love and a team they’re proud of. Our goal is to be a central part of the western Sydney summer,” Cummins said in a statement.

Cummins who previously worked for Betfair, Ford and Foster’s in sponsorship and marketing roles, spent seven years in player management, and is currently developing a corporate hospitality program for CA.