BBL's most successful team seeking back-to-back titles
The Scorchers enter BBL07 as defending champions and will be seeking their fourth title overall and second back-to-back winning campaigns.
The Perth-based team are the most decorated in the Big Bash and will be looking to sign off from the WACA in style as the stadium hosts its final BBL season.
Led by former Australian Test opener, Justin Langer, the Scorchers will be a team to watch once more.
The Big Bash League’s most successful team. It’s as simple as that.
The Western Australia-based outfit are the only team to have won the competition more than once, last year’s triumph was their third victorious campaign (2013/14, 2014/15, 2016/17).
The Scorchers have appeared in five out of six finals, only missing out in 2015/16.
Justin Langer is at the helm
The coach: After leaving his role as Australia’s Test batting coach, Justin Langer took on the role in November 2012 and has led the Scorchers to three victorious campaigns.
The skipper: Adam Voges replaced Simon Katich after the BBL03’s championship-winning tournament. Voges led the team to success in his first year as skipper, defeating Sydney Sixers to secure back-to-back titles. The former Test batsman - who retired from State cricket last season and spent the English summer with Middlesex - will be striving to repeat the feat of successive championships this year.
Ahead of the tournament Voges said: “We’ve got a big challenge in front of us – there’s seven other very good teams trying to knock us off.
“We understand that we can’t become complacent, but I’ve got no doubt that we’ve got a squad that’s capable of having another successful season.”
Former Western Australia captain Voges will lead the side on the field
Perth will be without some of their big names with Cameron Bancroft and the Marsh brothers - Mitch and Shaun – all in Australia’s Test squad.
They are not short of talent, however.
37-year-old Michael ‘Maxy’ Klinger is the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 1,608 career runs. He showed no signs of slowing down last year with 334 runs including an unbeaten 71 in the final.
Run-Mad Max
Mitchell Johnson returns after leading the Scorchers’ wicket-taking charts in 2016/17. Johnson took 13 wickets in nine matches including remarkable figures of 4-2-3-3 in the semi-final match against Melbourne Stars, not conceding a run from his first 17 deliveries. Johnson was the only bowler in the competition to record more than one maiden (three).
Johnson is raring to go again: “I want to help the team go back-to-back and given this is the last season at the WACA Ground, I really can’t wait to get back out there.”
Mitchell Johnson returns after a successful showing in 2016/17
David Willey represents the only overseas player on Perth’s books this year. The England and Yorkshire allrounder managed seven wickets in five innings but just 11 runs in three knocks with the bat.
Unfortunately, Ian Bell will not be exporting is heartwarming cover drives to Perth this time around.
In last year’s final, 21-year-old Jhye Richardson got the nod ahead of the more-experienced Jason Behrendorff – who has taken the second-most wickets in Scorchers history.
Richardson repaid that faith by recording his best Big Bash figures (three for 30) and claiming the crucial scalps of Moises Henriques and Brad Haddin.
Richardson impressed in his first Scorchers campaign
This will be the final BBL season hosted at the WACA before the Scorchers move to the 60,000 capacity Perth Stadium. Four of the Scorchers’ five final appearances have been hosted at their home ground (aka #TheFurnace).
Perth will play this season’s finals at the new Perth Stadium if they qualify to host post-season matches.
The new Perth Stadium could host post-season games
The bookies favourites.
They may have had to shuffle the pack but Langer sounds confident and he doesn’t seem the type to talk in riddles. Expect the Scorchers to be in the mix again.
The head coach said: “I’m not one for predictions, but we’ve shown over the years that we’re an incredibly successful team and there’s no reason that should change.”
Scorchers aiming for back-to-back titles
“We know the formula that works and, if we have the courage to stick to that formula, we’ll be ok.
“We’ve got a great squad again, so it all comes down to keeping them on the park.
“We’re so happy with the depth of our squad, because we’ve seen over the past few years – through injury or Australian selection – we tend to be able to cover it.”
Adam Voges*, Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Klinger, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman, David Willey.
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