Will Perth Scorchers fire in BBL09?

Having at least reached the semi-finals in the first seven competitions, the Scorchers will have found last season to be an affront to their pride. They are the most successful BBL team with three wins and twice being runners up. It will be interesting to see how the team from WA respond.

Catch all of BBL09 live on Kayo Sports - click here for a free two-week trial!

Having such a poor season last time out will have put some pressure on coach Adam Voges. Having been named as coach after Justin Langer was awarded the Australia job, Voges’ first season was a poor one. Also, moving from the WACA (or ‘The Furnace’ as it was known for the BBL) to Optus Stadium seemed to unsettle the Scorchers.

In BBL09, the Scorchers’ line up will look different with the departure of some big names. Shaun Marsh (to the Renegades), Michael Klinger (retired and coaching the Renegades), Nathan Coulter-Nile and Hilton Cartwright (both leaving for the Stars) have left Perth. In their place, Fawad Ahmed and Kurtis Patterson have both joined from the Sydney Thunder as well as England international Chris Jordan and his countryman, Liam Livingstone.  This will be Jordan’s third BBL team after representing the Strikers and the Thunder.

In the batting department, Perth looks to be very strong.  Captain Mitch March continues to confound his detractors with solid performances. Ashton Turner and Liam Livingstone are heavy scorers while Cameron Bancroft can accumulate runs quickly. Bancroft is more than capable with the gloves, but Josh Inglis and Sam Whiteman are more likely to compete for a place behind the stumps.

It is the bowling department where the Scorchers are less comfortable.  Jason Behrendorff is done for the season with a back injury while Andrew Tye is due to miss much of the campaign with an elbow injury.  Pressure will be on Jordan to deliver, although he is more than capable, while Ashton Agar and Fawad Ahmed will provide quality spin options.

Despite their personnel problems, Perth is more than capable of bouncing back into contention in BBL09. Whether Optus Stadium becomes the fortress that the WACA was is something that only time will tell. However, the Scorchers boys will be keen to prove once again that West is best.

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Squad

Ashton Agar, Fawad Ahmed, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff (back injury), Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Chris Jordan (Eng), Matthew Kelly, Liam Livingstone (Eng), Mitchell Marsh (Captain), Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye (elbow), Sam Whiteman

Fixtures