Photo Credit: Perth Scorchers
After securing back-to-back KFC Big Bash League titles with a thrilling win over Brisbane Heat at Optus Stadium in February, Our Scorchers stars have been able to take their incredible form abroad over the past couple of weeks.
Faf Du Plessis
After playing eight matches for the Scorchers during BBL|12, The former South African International has been at his brilliant best in the early stages of the Indian Premier League, striking up a dominant opening combination with Indian superstar Virat Kohli and captaining the Royal Challengers Bangalore to one win in their opening three matches.
Du Plessis and Kohli combined magnificently in their opening match, producing a 149- run opening stand to power their side to a first-up victory over the Mumbai Indians.
The 38-year-old has been in fine form atop of the order, striking two fifties amongst his 175 runs from the opening three matches.
Cameron Green
While we didn’t get to see him in Orange this season, Cameron Green is showing he is a rising star in all three formats of the game, producing a match-winning cameo for the Mumbai Indians in their IPL victory over the Delhi Capitals.
The allrounder came to the crease with his team needing 30 off 19 balls and struck 17 off just 8 balls to power his team to the 173-run victory target.
The 23-year-old has shown his versatility, batting at number three, five and six in his first three innings while sending down eight overs with the ball in the early stages of the tournament.
Jason Behrendorff
The leader of the Scorchers attack has been a crucial performer in the Powerplay for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, with the veteran producing key wickets with the new ball for his team.
Behrendorff took his best IPL figures of 3-23 off four overs as Mumbai secured a final ball victory over the Delhi Capitals.
His superb spell of controlled swing bowling produced the key wickets of David Warner and Axar Patel and halted the momentum of the Delhi innings.
The 32-year-old has produced four wickets in three matches so far and will be an important part of the Mumbai team aiming to win a 6th IPL title.
Mitchell Marsh
Due to injury, Scorchers fans weren’t able to see Marsh dominate with the bat this season. After overcoming his injury, Marsh was back to his dynamic and powerful best as the Aussies managed a 2-1 series win in the recent One-Day International Series against India.
In a new role atop of the order, the 31-year-old was able to produce match-defining efforts across the three-match series, striking half centuries (81 off 65 in Game One and 66 off 36 in Game Two) and hitting a run-a-ball 47 as the Aussies won the series-decider by 21 runs.
The powerful allrounder has batted at number three in the first two matches for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, before returning to Australia to get married.
He will miss the Capitals next three matches, before returning to the side for the rest of the tournament.
Stephen Eskinazi
After playing the final nine matches of BBL|12 following the departures of international signings Adam Lyth and Faf Du Plessis, Eskinazi finished as a title-winning Scorcher in his first season with the franchise.
The Englishman proved to be a reliable contributor, with several hard-hitting cameos which proved crucial as the Scorchers won back-to-back titles. He scored 214 runs in nine innings, including two fifties and a highest score of 66*, batting the whole innings in a close loss to the Sydney Sixers.
The 29-year-old has since gone back to England to captain Middlesex in the English County Cricket Championship, where he produced scores of 0 and 37 in his side’s opening round loss to Essex.
Adam Lyth
The experienced Englishman played in the BBL for the first time this summer, after signing on as a replacement player for the Perth Scorchers following an injury to Phil Salt.
The aggressive opener played the first seven matches of the tournament, forming a star-studded opening combination with Faf Du Plessis.
Since leaving Perth, Lyth has returned to his beloved Yorkshire at the start of the County Cricket season, where he managed scores of 21 and 0 as his side were defeated by Leicestershire in their opening fixture.
Cameron Bancroft
The consistent 30-year-old put together another productive campaign across all three formats for WA and the Scorchers, capping it off with another Sheffield Shield and Marsh One-Day Cup double and a Big Bash League title, after missing out last season.
The opener was an ever-present across all formats for both state and franchise, scoring 1635 runs across 39 innings throughout the summer, which earned him the prestigious Laurie Sawle Medal.
Since the domestic season finished, Bancroft has started his stint with Somerset in the English County Cricket Championship, compiling a typically patient 109-ball 44 at number three in a four-wicket win over Warwickshire.
Name of Author: Perth Scorchers
The Perth Scorchers are an Australian men’s Twenty20 cricket team competing in the Big Bash League. Based in Perth, Western Australia, they wear an orange uniform and play their home games at Perth Stadium.
