Perth Scorchers – Predicted XI for Round 1 BBL|13

The Scorchers were crowned back-to-back BBL champions last season so there’s alot to like about this side, even without white-ball demolition man Mitch Marsh who missed all of BBL|12 due to injury.

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Ins/Outs

Ins: Zak Crawley (Hobart Hurricanes), Sam Whiteman (Sydney Thunder)

Outs: Cameron Bancroft (Sydney Thunder), Peter Hatzoglou (Hobart Hurricanes), David Payne (Adelaide Strikers)

Squad: Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Zak Crawley, Laurie Evans, Hamish McKenzie, Sam Whiteman, Steve Eskinazi

Uncontracted from BBL|12: Cameron Green, Chris Sabburg

View our list of the top 5 speculative picks in SC BBL|13

Availability Issues

Mitch Marsh’s outstanding 2023 Ashes means he’ll likely be Australia’s first-choice Test all-rounder this summer, ruling him out of Scorchers’ action. Josh Inglis could travel with the Test squad as back-up wicketkeeper too, but they didn’t do that last summer and Alex Carey seems to have done enough to hold his spot.

Matt Kelly suffered a calf strain in September, meaning he’ll be touch and go for the start of the BBL season. Ashton Agar is set to be unavailable with a calf issue up until the eve of BBL starting, while Jhye Richardson re-injured his shoulder in October but he has returned at club level. Aaron Hardie has overcome a quad issue and Cooper Connolly has returned at club level following toe surgery. Cam Green looks set to sit out BBL|13.

Zak Crawley will miss Round 1 due to England ODI duty in the West Indies, while he is likely to exit at the back-end for Test duty in India. Englishman Laurie Evans will exit in mid-January for the ILT20.

View our list of the top 10 value picks in SC BBL|13

Predicted Round 1 XI

Opening bat Cam Bancroft has left, while Marsh looks set to be unavailable, so there’s some gaps to fill. English top-order bat Crawley has been recruited to fill that void but will miss Round 1, opening up vacancies early on. Left-hander Sam Whiteman, who is the Marsh Cup leading run scorer this season, batting alongside returning import Steve Eskinazi seems most likely.

Evans is another who’ll return to bolster their middle-order batting stocks and he offers versatility having opened for Surrey throughout this year’s Vitality Blast. Evans, Nick Hobson or Cooper Connolly could also open, with Eskinazi no certainty to be preferred ahead of Whiteman in Round 1. Those opening slots are a big watch.

You could also make a case for Hobson in the middle order or Connolly, who offers a part-time spin option and showed off his big-hitting wares in last season’s Final. Agar’s likely absence for the early stages means Connolly is a firmer chance to play, with spinner Hamish McKenzie out until late in the campaign with a back issue.

Matt Kelly’s injury worry means he’ll likely be the unlucky bowler to miss out early, although he has returned to bowling in the nets. Agar and Morris, along with Richardson, could also come into Test calculations too.

1 S.Eskinazi
2 S.Whiteman
3 A.Hardie
4 J.Inglis (wk)
5 A.Turner (c)
6 L.Evans
7 C.Connolly
8 J.Richardson
9 A.Tye
10 L.Morris
11 J.Behrendorff

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Melbourne Renegades

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Sydney Thunder

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Hobart Hurricanes

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Brisbane Heat

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Sydney Sixers

View our predicted Round 1 line-up for the Adelaide Strikers

View our comprehensive SC BBL|13 availability calendar

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