Tom Andrews was holding down an office job as a financial planner a month ago, but now he’s planning a fairytale BBL title run with the Sydney Thunder alongside superstars David Warner and Sam Konstas.

When Tasmania overlooked Andrews for a new contract after the 2022-23 summer, the Darwin-born allrounder accepted that his nine-year professional career was over.

He had played 17 first-class matches in that time and 36 one-dayers – a career that may not have hit the highs of former Shield team-mates Travis Head or Adam Zampa, but one he knew he could be proud of.

“I got nine years on contract, so there wasn’t anything in my mind about, ‘What could have happened if I had’ve done this or I had’ve done that?’,” the 30-year-old told AAP. “That sort of made it easier for me to move on.”

Andrews packed his bags and moved back to Adelaide, where he’d finished high school and spent six years playing for South Australia.

He began studying to become a financial adviser and picked up a job in client services at McInerney Barratt Financial Solutions in the Adelaide CBD.

For the first time since Andrews could remember, cricket took a back seat. He kept sending down his left-arm offies for grade-cricket side Port Adelaide, and agreed to help the Adelaide Strikers’ academy team out when they needed him.

University studies and full-time work meant even committing to train with the Strikers was a stretch. But Andrews managed to join his much younger teammates on a trip to Sydney for some friendly matches against Sixers and Thunder.

A few days later, in mid-December, Andrews received a phone call from Thunder general manager Trent Copeland that changed everything. The injury-hit Thunder were in dire need of reinforcements.

“‘Copes’ just called me and he said ‘Do you want to come along?'” Andrews said. “I had to quickly call my bosses and say, ‘Can I have a bit of time off? It’s probably going to be about a month’. I’m very lucky that they let me do that.”

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Andrews hasn’t looked back. He has taken the wickets of Australian white-ball international Aaron Hardie and New Zealand star Colin Munro across his six games so far.

On Monday, Andrews was player of the match in a win over Perth Scorchers that booked last season’s wooden spooners a spot in the BBL finals. In at No. 9, Andrews blasted 37 runs from 13 deliveries on a tricky ENGIE Stadium pitch that scuppered Warner and Sam Billings in single digits.

“I felt like I’ve come in and played my role, which I was happy for,” Andrews said.

He now turns his attention to Friday’s clash with Sixers at the SCG, where Thunder can likely confirm a double chance in the finals with victory. After he gets home from training for that match and the upcoming finals, Andrews will be hitting the books: the final year of his university studies began this week.

“I pretty much study the rest of the night, that’s when I don’t have cricket training and games on the weekend,” he said.

He knows all about unlikely success stories. His return to the cricket pitch is one. When Friday’s game finishes, he’ll turn his attention to helping write another as Thunder eye a second BBL title

“It’d be amazing,” Andrews said. “As much as we’re savouring making finals, we have to put our mind on the next step, to not only make finals but hopefully try to win a couple.”