BBL12, With speedster Jhye Richardson approaching full health for Saturday’s qualification final against the Sydney Sixers, the Perth Scorchers might be helped by the return of Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris for the start of their KFC BBL finals series, but Ashton Agar’s season is ended. Richardson is nearing the end of his hamstring recuperation, while Morris was unable to play in Sunday’s 10-run victory against the Melbourne Renegades owing to sickness.
Scorchers hoping for Richardson boost for finals
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With their victory against the Renegades, the Scorchers clinched first position and will face the Sydney Sixers in ‘The Qualifier’ at Perth Stadium on Saturday. The winner of the match will advance to the grand final. Richardson hasn’t been cleared to return to the field yet, but Voges expects it will happen this week. “We’re all hoping he’ll be ready on Saturday. He still has more work to do to demonstrate his fitness “Voges said.
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I have no objections to bringing him back in once he has been certified healthy. But he still has some work to do.” Richardson revealed last week that he was “ahead of schedule” after suffering a hamstring injury in Perth’s home loss to the Sydney Thunder on January 4. Agar has been a vital element in the Scorchers’ march to the top of the table, but his selection for the next Test tour of India means he will be absent for the BBL finals.
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Given the circumstances, Agar was left out of the XI against the Renegades in order to provide crucial experience to 19-year-old spinner Cooper Connolly. Connolly did not bowl, with captain Ashton Turner (2-25) handling most of the spin duties. Once we confirmed Ash wouldn’t be available for our final here on Saturday, we believed now was the time for him to begin his preparation for the Test tour,” Voges added.
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“We couldn’t have done it without his approval
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“I completely appreciate how important this impending trip to India is to him and how he wants to prepare as best he can.” Fellow spinner Peter Hatzoglou was an unexpected exclusion against the Renegades, but he came in as a concussion sub when paceman Matt Kelly was hit in the face with the ball during a rare fielding mistake. Even if Kelly is able to recuperate in time for the start of the finals, he will have to struggle to save his spot with Morris and Richardson’s approaching comeback.
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The Scorchers’ ability to finish first is even more impressive considering that they were without Mitch Marsh (ankle), Tymal Mills (personal reasons), Phil Salt (shoulder), Cameron Green (broken finger), and Laurie Evans (positive drug result) for the whole tournament. “Proud is a great word,” Voges remarked of his team’s ability to overcome all obstacles. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure how things were going to turn out. “However, we’ve seen people stand up and contribute in various games.
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