Scorchers bowling coach Tim McDonald says Australian selector are keeping an eye on speedster Jhye Richardson as he looks to build towards more consistent red ball cricket.
Richardson was key in getting the Scorchers’ 2024/24 BBL campaign off to a strong start, snaring 3/19 off his four overs and player of the match in the season opener at Optus Stadium.
The Stars were restricted to 9/146 in the first innings, which the Scorchers comfortably chased down to win by six wickets with 17 balls to spare.
The 28-year old has been managed in the first part of the domestic season only recently returned to the bowling crease in WA’s most recent Shield game on restricted minutes.
In that very same game, the paceman gave everyone a scare, after popping his shoulder out while high-fiving his teammates following a wicket and while on a hat trick ball.
Speaking to SportFM, McDonald says the goal is for Richardson to play most Scorchers games as he builds towards playing longer forms of cricket more consistently.
“This was a big part of the plans of getting Jhye back to consistent longer form cricket with this Big Bash period,” he said,
“We’ve learned a lot about the injuries he’s been having over the last few years and we know that this period, we do have to carefully manage how many games he plays in a short space of time.
“We’re expecting to play most of the games in this Big Bash and if he can get through that, that’s a really good launching pad into what comes next for Jhye Richardson.
“At the same time, you saw how good he was and we know how good he is with his skills and if he plays two or three games and performs like that, that the Aussie selectors are watching pretty hard. He’s going pretty well.”
The visitors batted first, setting the Scorchers a target of 147 runs to chase in the second innings, which the home side did with 17 deliveries to spare.
When skipper Ashton Turner (37 off 27) came to the crease, the Scorchers were 3/37 runs down in the fifth over and in need of someone to help stabilise the chase.
He combined wth young gun Cooper Connolly (64 off 51), who had a career best knock, to make a crucial 68-run partnership to secure the win.
McDonald praised Connolly for supporting Turner in his new role at number three.
“How many times we’ve seen that especially in Big Bash cricket. We’re three for not many and staring down the barrel and and he just resurrects the innings and steers us on the right path,” said McDonald.
“I think the emergence of Cooper Connolly in that situation as well and showing how versatile he can be as a cricketer.
“He’s not just a six-hitting machine he can actually pace the innings and knows he can catch up as well if it’s going as difficult early and Adam Milne coming at him pretty hard at the start there he’s a well-class bowler.
“It was a new role for Cooper up at three and he supported AT really well.”
Originally, Turner’s selection was under debate as he had recently recovered from a rib injury, but he was ruled fit to return.
The Scorchers have two more regulars on the sidelines with wicketkeeper Josh Inglis on national duty for the Australia-India test series, while all rounder Aaron Hardie is dealing with a quad injury.
McDonald is hoping they will both be available sooner rather than later this season.
“We’ve just got to have some final conversations with CA around Josh Inglis,“ he said.
“I’m guessing depending on what happens with this test match, we’re hoping that we might have him available for one or two of these games, hopefully two.
“Aaron Hardie really close. He had a really long hit in the net yesterday, and if he just had to bat, I’d imagine he’d play.
“Unfortunately, you do have to run around in the field a little bit when you play, so he’s probably got a few more boxes to kick in that regard.
“We’re hoping that Boxing Day is still on the cards for him, and then a return to the bowling increase not long after that. He bowled some balls yesterday, and batted probably 60-70%, so it’s really promising, and he’s pretty close.“
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