The Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes’ squads for Wednesday have been confirmed with Riley Meredith named and Matt Kelly ruled out, while Daniel Sams had an injury scare.
SQUAD NEWS
The Perth Scorchers named an extended 17-man squad to face the Hobart Hurricanes at Optus Stadium on Wednesday, with Ashton Agar, Zak Crawley and Lance Morris all in contention to play for the first time this season.
The trio along with Liam Haskett and local replacement player Cameron Gannon – who has replaced Mitch Marsh – come into the squad with Matt Kelly ruled out due to injury.
On Kelly, the Scorchers said: “Matt Kelly has been ruled out due to a recent calf strain but is expected to be fit for Boxing Day.”
On the return of Agar, the Scorchers said: “Experienced spinner Ashton Agar has recovered from a calf injury and is also available for selection, having been managed by Cricket Australia for Perth’s first two games.”
Scorchers squad: Turner (c), Agar, Behrendorff, Connolly, Crawley, Eskinazi, Evans, Gannon, Hardie, Haskett, Hobson, Inglis, McKenzie, Morris, Richardson, Tye, Whiteman
The Hurricanes named a 14-man travelling squad for the game, with Riley Meredith included after a side strain last game. The Canes said: “Meredith will travel to Perth after playing in the Cricket Tasmania Premier League on the weekend.”
Iain Carlisle, Liam Guthrie, Sam Heazlett and Mac Wright all haven’t travelled.
Hurricanes squad: Ellis (c), Anderson, Chaudhary, David, Dooley, Hain, Hatzoglou, Jewell, Jordan, McDermott, Meredith, Owen, Stanlake, Wade
View our predicted Round 2 line-ups with SuperCoach explanations
UPDATES
Returning to Perth, Zak Crawley spoke to the media on Tuesday, confirming he’ll play six games, missing Rounds 8 and 9 when he heads off to England Test duty prior to the India series.
Crawley also discussed the potential for his game to suit the Perth pitch. He said: “I hope so. I feel like it might suit my game. I like a pull shot and a bit of pace on the ball. We’ll see, hopefully it does.”
View our updated BBL Availability Calendar
Renegades’ all-rounder Will Sutherland was asked about potentially batting higher having been used at 7 in game 1. He said: “I’d be lying if I said I’m happy at 7. You always want as much time as you can get in the middle but understand I’ve got an important role to play at 7. If Sakes (coach David Saker) does give me the opportunity to face a few more overs, I’d definitely take it.”
Daniel Sams had an injury scare in Tuesday’s Sydney Thunder game against the Adelaide Strikers and teammate Cameron Bancroft flagged a potential groin issue. He said: “I was out there when he tumbled, he said he felt a bit of tightness in his groin but he was able to take a strong part in the game after that.”
Strikers captain Matthew Short heaped praise on fellow opening batsman D’Arcy Short after his knock on Tuesday. He said: “Absolutely rapt for Darce. He’s admitted himself he’s had a lean patch the last few years in Hobart. We all know what he’s capable of. To give him a bit of a fresh start and get him at the top of the order, we love seeing him come off like that. It was a really nice partnership with him.”
View our predicted Round 2 line-ups with SuperCoach explanations
