BBL10 preview: Perth Scorchers squad, best KFC SuperCoach BBL buys
With a host of international stars building toward BBL10 comebacks, Perth Scorchers are eyeing a finals return — and they could provide plenty of KFC SuperCoach bargains.
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A perennial contender in the early seasons of the BBL, Perth Scorchers will be out to qualify for finals for the first time since BBL07 this summer.
Their ambition has been buoyed by the addition of English opener Jason Roy, who will be joined at the top of the order by the re-signed Liam Livingstone when they arrive after England’s South African tour.
Joe Clarke, one of the leading run scorers in this year’s Vitality Blast, will fill one of those roles in the early rounds as a replacement player.
The Scorchers have kept most of last season’s squad together after a sixth-placed finish, which was achieved without key bowlers Andrew Tye and Jason Behrendorff.
If that pair is back to their best, the Scorchers will go from a finals contender to one of the leading title threats.
Jhye Richardson is expected to be back at full tilt after shoulder surgery, although skipper Mitch Marsh could play as a batsman early due to an ankle injury.
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BBL10 SQUAD
Ashton Agar, Fawad Ahmed, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Joe Clarke (Eng), Cameron Gannon, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Liam Livingstone, Mitchell Marsh (c), Colin Munro (NZ), Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Jhye Richardson, Jason Roy, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman.
In: Colin Munro (NZ), Joe Clarke (Eng), Jason Roy (Eng), Cameron Gannon
Out: Nick Hobson, Chris Jordan.
Internationals: Liam Livingstone (Eng), Jason Roy (Eng), Joe Clarke (Eng, replacement player), Colin Munro (NZ)
KEY SUPERCOACH BBL PLAYERS
Mitch Marsh BAT-BWL BBL09 avg: 57.3
The Perth Scorchers skipper is a ‘watch this space’ after injuring his ankle while playing in the Indian Premier League. Marsh has been recovering from that setback since returning to Australia in late September and the Scorchers have forecast he could avoid bowling early in the BBL. Marsh went on a huge run in the middle of BBL09, capitalising on a series of Scorchers doubles with SuperCoach scores of 169, 175 and 149. If he’s bowling regularly and filling a prominent batting role later in the tournament, Marsh will be an important SuperCoach player regardless of double game rounds.
Josh Inglis WKP-BAT BBL09 avg: 56.6
The wicketkeeper-batsman emerged as one of the most dangerous openers in the BBL
last season, hammering 405 runs at a strike rate of 154. He formed a dynamic partnership with Englishman Liam Livingstone, who will return to Perth for a second season. After only featuring in four matches in BBL08, Inglis appears to have the Scorchers wicketkeeper role locked away ahead of Sam Whiteman and Cameron Bancroft — who could still play as a batsman. Inglis’ KFC SuperCoach scoring reflected his rise. His lowest score of the season was 21 (one of only two scores below 40) and his price jumped from $130,200 to a season-high of $200,000.
Jhye Richardson BWL BBL09 avg: 58.1
Richardson and leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed were the constants in a Scorchers bowling line-up which was without Andrew Tye and Jason Behrendorff due to injury last summer. Ahmed and Richardson both snared 15 wickets, with the paceman only conceding 7.1 runs an over. He went big in two Scorchers doubles, amassing 184 and 190 SuperCoach points, overcoming a slow start to the campaign to peak at $215,000.
Cameron Green BAT-BWL BBL09 avg: 12.9
The buzz player of Australian cricket, along with Will Pucovski, Green is still only $62k in KFC SuperCoach. That’s down to not bowling in BBL09 and only returning 106 runs. Don’t be deterred by those numbers — if anything the Scorchers did KFC SuperCoaches a favour by leaving Green down the order last summer. He’s expected to be bowling in BBL10 and should be batting in the top-six, when available. The only knock on him might be how often he actually plays in the BBL if the Test squad is required to stay in a quarantine bubble. Keep an eye out for any news about whether players who miss selection will be released to BBL clubs.
KFC SuperCoach doubles: Round 10
KFC SuperCoach byes: None
PREDICTIONS
Finishing position
Tim Michell: Fourth — They could win the whole thing if all their big guns come together at the right time but there’s so many question marks due to injuries and international duties.
The Phantom: Fifth – The best line-up is a very, very good one. But how often we will see it all together this summer?
Top KFC SuperCoach scorer
Tim Michell: Jhye Richardson — Sounds like he’s back bowling at full tilt which is a great sign for the Scorchers. I would have said Liam Livingstone but he misses the early rounds.
The Phantom: Colin Munro – if he gets going, look out. Liam Livingstone by average when he arrives.
BESTLINE-UP
Jason Roy
Liam Livingstone
Colin Munro
Josh Inglis
Mitchell Marsh
Cameron Green
Ashton Agar
Jhye Richardson
Andrew Tye
Jason Behrendorff
Fawad Ahmed
BURNING QUESTIONS
How much bowling will Cameron Green do?
The million-dollar question every KFC SuperCoach would love to know. After Green’s recent batting heroics in the Sheffield Shield, he flagged he could be back bowling competitively in the BBL. That would confirm his status as the No. 1 target for every KFC SuperCoach at just $62k. Green bowls at 140-145km/h and some pundits rate his bowling as the best of his two skills. The only reason he wasn’t unleashed with the ball for the Scorchers last summer was he’s been managing back issues. He might not bowl a full complement of overs every game but will be a very dangerous fourth seam option for Perth if his comeback with the ball goes to plan.
Can Andrew Tye get back to his best?
One of the best T20 bowlers in the country, Tye was unsighted in BBL09 due to elbow surgery. Tye has been one of the most effective bowlers in BBL history, collecting 72 wickets in 52 games. The only bowlers ahead of him on the all-time wickets list — Ben Laughlin (110), Sean Abbott (99), Kane Richardson (83) and Cameron Boyce (79) — have played at least 16 matches more than the slower-ball wizard. Tye was selected for Australia’s one-day and T20 tour of England in September, suggesting he should be a key weapon again for Perth in BBL10. He could be a great buy at $134k if he’s anywhere near his best.
How’s Jhye Richardson’s shoulder?
The video below, posted on October 15, shows the first full hitout Richardson was part of since returning from shoulder surgery. The paceman, who has 24 Australian appearances to his name, remains bullish about his chances of being at top gear when the BBL campaign kicks off. “Obviously major surgery happened a few months ago, five, six months ago,” he said recently. “Back bowling now … with two months to go until the Big Bash we’re looking in good stead. That was a goal we had early on, was to get back for the Big Bash. That’s looking good at the moment.” The signs have been even more positive in recent weeks for the Scorchers spearhead. Richardson ($166k) snared 15 scalps last season to be the Scorchers' leading wicket-taker with leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed.
And what about Mitch Marsh’s ankle?
The Scorchers skipper injured his ankle while playing in the IPL and was then left in limbo when his initial scans went missing. However, the WACA announced in mid-October Marsh had avoided surgery on a syndesmosis problem, keeping alive his chances of figuring in the early rounds of the BBL. He’s set to be put through his paces for Australia A if he recovers in time for the tour game against India, which will keep him out of Perth’s first few games regardless. Even if he features, it might only be as a batsman if he’s eased back. Scorchers coach Adam Voges told Cricinfo in late November Marsh’s recovery had been slower than Perth had hoped. “He’s still on track to play the Australia A games that he has been selected for primarily as a batter to start with and we’ll continue to work with his bowling but he’s making some good progress albeit a little bit slower than we would have liked,” he said.
Who bowls the part-time overs?
The KFC SuperCoach who works this out will be a contender for the $25k overall prize. The obvious answer would be Cameron Green, but we’re still unsure how often he will bowl and when he’ll be available after being named in the Australian and Australia A squads. That would leave Mitch Marsh, but he’s coming back from injury and the Scorchers have stated he’s likely to start BBL10 as a batsman only. If Ashton Agar plays for Australia A too, the Scorchers will be light on for bowling options. Could someone like Kiwi Colin Munro or spinner Ashton Turner share the fifth-bowler role? It might even be a smoky like Aaron Hardie who gets the nod for Round 1.
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