Banned Australia batsman Cameron Bancroft will be part of a new-look Perth Scorchers squad that will see Mitchell Marsh filling the captaincy position left vacant by Adam Voges. With 25-year-old Bancroft’s nine-month suspension expiring in December, he is expected to turn up against the Hobart Hurricanes on December 30 in the eighth edition of the Big Bash League (BBL).
Bancroft was among the three Australia players who were banned for roles in the ball-tampering scandal during the Cape Town Test in March. While Steven Smith and David Warner were suspended from playing international and Australian domestic cricket for 12 months, Bancroft was banned for nine months which will end after Christmas this year. He had returned on the field in the Northern Territory Strike League in Darwin in May and the BBL is expected to be his return after the ban.
Marsh’s elevation follows Voges taking up the coach’s role – with both the Western Australia and the Scorchers sides – in the wake of Justin Langer’s appointment as Australia’s head coach. Currently, only England’s David Willey features as their lone overseas recruit, leaving the second foreign players’s slot vacant.
With their campaign scheduled to get underway on December 20, against the Melbourne Renegades, Scorchers will look to better their semi-final finish from last season and gun for a fourth BBL title. Voges, on his part, is confident the season will augur well for his team, particularly the young faces in the mix, some of whom are regular members of Australia’s white-ball cricket sides.
“To retain our core group of players has been really important for us and we’re pleased everyone has decided to stay,” Voges said. “With WA having such a strong presence in the Australian white-ball teams it means a lot of our younger players will get more opportunities for the Scorchers, and many of those guys played for us last summer so I’m excited for them to build on that experience.
“We have wanted to be consistent with our squads across all three formats,” Voges said. “So naming Mitch as captain was a good fit. He’s an exciting leader and I’m sure the Scorchers fans are going to be happy.”
Meanwhile, left-arm fast bowler Josh Lalor who has been part of the Brisbane Heat squad since the 2015 edition, has earned an extension and will be part of their 16-member squad.
Current Scorchers squad: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Michael Klinger, Mitchell Marsh (c), Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman, David Willey (England).
Current Heat squad: Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Brendan Doggett, Sam Heazlett, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Lalor, Chris Lynn, Brendon McCullum, James Pattinson, Jimmy Peirson, Jack Prestwidge, Matthew Renshaw, Alex Ross, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson
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