Jacob Bethell is in for Thursday’s game meaning Hassan Khan is out, while there were updates on Josh Inglis, Jhye Richardson, Tom Alsop, Colin Munro and Spencer Johnson.
TEAM NEWS
English sensation Jacob Bethell has been added to the Melbourne Renegades’ squad for Thursday’s game after playing all three Tests of their series in New Zealand.
Bethell comes in at the expense of Pakistani-American all-rounder Hassan Khan due to the three-player overseas quota.
Gades keeper Tim Seifert said about Bethell: “For him to come in it’s only going to make us stronger. It also gives us a bowling option as well.”
Ins: Bethell / Outs: Hassan Khan
Renegades squad: Sutherland (c), Bethell, Brown, Evans, F-McGurk, Harvey, O’Neill, Richardson, Rogers, Sandhu, Seifert, Stow, Wells, Zampa
The Hobart Hurricanes named their 14-man squad for Thursday’s game against the Gades, with Jake Doran, Paddy Dooley and Charlie Wakim left out.
Hurricanes squad: Ellis (c), Bean, Chaudhary, David, Hatzoglou, Hope, Jewell, Jordan, McDermott, Meredith, Owen, Stanlake, Wade, Waqar
JHYE ROTATION RISK
Jhye Richardson could need to be managed during the BBL due to his injury history, according to Perth Scorchers bowling coach Tim Macdonald.
Ahead of the Scorchers’ two-game road trip with 2 games in 3 days, Macdonald spoke to 91.3 Sport FM and said: “We’ve learned a lot about the injuries he’s been having over the last few years.
“This period we do have to carefully manage how many games he plays in a short space of time. But we’re expecting him to play most of the games in the Big Bash.”
He added: “We know how good he is with his skills, if he plays 2-3 games and performs like that, you know the Aussie selectors are watching pretty hard.”
SCORCHERS HOPEFUL ON INGLIS
Macdonald also said the Scorchers remained hopeful on Josh Inglis’ availability following the conclusion of the Test match, having been part of that squad but not released.
He told 91.3 Sport FM: “We’ve just got to have some final conversations with CA around Josh Inglis. We’re hoping we might have him available for 1 or 2 of these games. hopefully 2.”
Macdonald also offered an update on Aaron Hardie’s timeline to return from a quad injury. He said: “Aaron Hardie is really close. He had a really long hit in the nets yesterday.
“If you just had to bat, I’d imagine he’d play, but you do have to run around in the field when you play. He’s probably got a few more boxes to tick in that regard. Hoping that Boxing Day is still on cards for him and then a return to the bowling crease not long after that. He bowled some balls yesterday to batters at 60-70%, so it’s really promising.”
HEAT INJURY UPDATES
Brisbane offered an update on the fitness of English recruit Tom Alsop, stating he’ll need to be further assessed after he withdrew from Wednesday’s opener against the Melbourne Stars due to a quadriceps injury.
The Heat update said: “Alsop reported soreness in his quad following the team’s training session yesterday at the MCG and scans today revealed a minor strain.
“The Heat will weigh up whether to target a short-term international replacement for Alsop once they return to Brisbane tomorrow.”
Heat coach Johan Botha said: “We’ll see what the options are for us while he recovers but fortunately the scans indicated it is on the minor side of things.”
Brisbane also offered an update on opening batsman Colin Munro who was a late out due to a hamstring issue.
The update said: “Munro’s scans of a tight hamstring complaint revealed no significant injury and he is looking to return, if cleared, in time for Sunday’s clash with the Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba.”
All that could impact the job security of Daniel Drew and Jack Wood.
Brisbane also added pacemen Spencer Johnson (toe) and Michael Neser (hamstring) are “making solid progress in their respective return-to-play programs”.
STRIKERS REINFORCE QUICKS
The Adelaide Strikers confirmed the addition of 200cm left-arm quick Liam Haskett as a local replacement player (LRP) for Alex Carey.
Haskett was on the Scorchers list last season and has taken 20 wickets in six First-Class games for WA.
Haskett’s signing indicates they want to depth in their fast bowling department, which is a worry for Jordan Buckingham and Brendan Doggett.
ALLEN INJURY UPDATE
Strikers opener Jake Weatherald spoke on 5AA about the hamstring injury to import Fabian Allen sustained in their first game.
He said: “He was pretty sombre. He wasn’t in a great mood. I’m not sur eof the extent of it. I know he’s getting a scan at some point. He looked in a very upset mood. The boys got around him… He’s a big loss for us, he’s obviously an exciting player and something we banked on having a big impact.”
On replacements, he added: “We’ve got a guy sitting on our bench who made a lot of BBL runs, D’Arcy Short to come in. I’m sure he’ll play a big role… We’ve got another (Ollie) Pope coming in to strengthen our team.”
