The Perth Scorchers failed to defend their title last season when they broke down in the semi-final in their new stadium so they will be out to regain their crown under new coach Adam Voges. He will need to formulate new plans to deal with playing at a new ground but he has one of the best bowling attacks in the tournament at his disposal and a competitive batting line up. The Scorchers have been the best team in the history of the competition which also leads to high expectation at the beginning of any campaign.
Stats
Last Season: 1st (lost in semi-final)
Captain: Mitch Marsh
Overseas Players: Usman Qadir & David Willey
Key Player: Andrew Tye
Best Odds: 9/2 Skybet
Predicted Finishing Position: 3rd
Fixtures
Thursday December 20 – Melbourne Renegades (a)
Saturday December 22 – Sydney Sixers (a)
Wednesday December 26 – Adelaide Strikers (h)
Sunday December 30 – Hobart Hurricanes (a)
Wednesday January 2 – Sydney Thunder (a)
Saturday January 5 – Brisbane Heat (h)
Wednesday January 9 – Melbourne Stars (a)
Sunday January 13 – Sydney Sixers (h)
Friday January 18 – Hobart Hurricanes (h)
Thursday January 24 – Sydney Thunder (h)
Monday January 28 – Melbourne Renegades (h)
Friday February 1 – Brisbane Heat (a)
Sunday February 3 – Melbourne Stars (h)
Saturday February 9 – Adelaide Strikers (a)
Squad
Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Michael Klinger, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Usman Qadir (Pakistan), Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman, David Willey (England)
Preview
Under Justin Langer, with the WACA as their home ground, the Perth Scorchers unleashed a top level pace attack on the opposition which was capable of defending any total which allowed their batsmen the freedom to take their time and not take excessive risks. That attack remains in situ but no longer does it have the fast, bouncy WACA track to assist it and all eyes will be on them to see if they can continue to be effective in the new stadium.
The evidence of the semi-final last season would suggest they need to think about changing their plans but the issue then becomes a lack of out and out power in their upper order unless they send David Willey up to open until Cameron Bancroft is back later in December. If they can formulate a plan to restrict sides on a much smaller ground than the WACA then Perth can still be a force in this competition.
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Betting
As with a couple of the sides in this tournament, there are plenty of options to be the leading wicket taker for the Scorchers. I’m already on Jason Behrendorff to be the top wicket taker in the tournament which is enough of an interest in their bowling attack for me because they are all capable of running through sides. One bet stands out in the batting department though.
I would be surprised if David Willey doesn’t open the batting while Cameron Bancroft serves out the remainder of his ban, which is the first three games of the competition. If Willey doesn’t open he should be in the top three as the powerplay is a huge thing these days. Whether he will continue to open when Bancroft is back remains to be seen but he should still bat high up because he’s no use down the order. We need a couple of things to fall into place for a genuine run here but at 14/1 it could well happen.
Tips
Back D.Willey Top Perth Scorchers Season Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 15.00 with LeoVegas
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