Big Bash League: Jhye Richardson ruled out of Perth Scorchers home final

Perth Scorchers have officially lined out pass-happy Jhye Richardson ahead of Saturday’s Big Bash League final at Optus Stadium.

Scorchers coach Adam Voges has confirmed that Richardson, who has not played since picking up a hamstring injury against the Sydney Thunder on January 4, will not be fit for this weekend as his side seek a record-extending fifth title hunt.

The 26-year-old, who has taken 15 wickets in seven appearances this tournament, will also not be back in time for WA’s Sheffield Shield return against South Australia in Adelaide next week.

Richardson has dealt with a host of injuries throughout his promising-but-frustrating career, including shoulder, heel and multiple hamstrings.

He represented Australia 36 times across all three formats, but would have been many more but for untimely injuries, which also saw him miss a lot of first-class cricket, including last season’s drought-breaking Shield final.

The whipping right-armer hit the ground running in BBL12 despite a heel problem sidelining him for the first half of the domestic summer, twice named player of the match, three times with a hat-trick and among the fastest in the tournament achieved. deliveries.

“Jhye will not play,” Voges told The West Australian.

“It’s a shame for him, I know he was very keen to try and come back for the back end of this tournament, but unfortunately it just didn’t quite work out.

“There is a lot of cricket ahead and there would have been a huge element of risk if we had tried to push him harder than we actually have.

“He will not be available for the first Shield match. Not only is there another period of hamstring rehab, but then we have to be able to build some loads into him and make sure he’s really functioning at a high level before we put him back in the middle and that everybody is 100 percent confident.

Camera icon Jhye Richardson of the Scorchers reacts after bowling during the Big Bash League (BBL) cricket match between the Perth Scorchers and the Sydney Thunder at Optus Stadium in Perth, Wednesday, January 4, 2023. (AAP Image/Gary Day) NO ARCHIVE , NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY, IMAGES USED FOR NEWS REPORTING PURPOSES ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE CAPTION, NO USE IN BOOKS WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM AAP Credit: GARY DAY/AAPIMAGE

“That means we’ll take a pretty conservative approach with him and just make sure the next time we see him out there, hopefully for Western Australia, he’s fully fit and ready to go.”

Voges admits it will be a tough call between leg-spinner Peter Hatzoglou and seamer Matt Kelly over who replaces India quick Lance Morris, with one of them “desperately unlucky” to miss out.

Hatzoglou played 10 out of 15 times this tournament but was wicketless in his four appearances in Perth in BBL12, while Kelly played seven but five out of eight at Optus Stadium where he took six wickets.

“It probably comes down to Peter Hatzoglou or Matt Kelly taking Lance Morris’ place,” said Voges, who played in three titles as a player and the last one as a coach.

“There’s going to be somebody who’s going to be desperately unhappy to miss out, it’s been a full team effort to get here and both of those guys have played important roles throughout the summer and throughout this tournament.

“One is going to do a good job for us and one is going to miss out unfortunately.

Camera icon Peter Hatzoglou of the Scorchers takes a selfie for fans during the Perth Scorchers Fan Day at Forrest Chase on January 30, 2023 in Perth, Australia. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images for Cricket Austral

Voges gave a positive update on WA captain and star Scorchers batsman Mitch Marsh’s recovery from an ankle problem, revealing he is back to hitting balls as he ends a Marsh One-Day Cup comeback of February target.

Marsh was ruled out of BBL12 before the start of the tournament after going under the knife for ankle surgery.

“I know Mitch’s rehab has gone very well,” he said.

“I think he’s started hitting some cricket balls now which he’s really excited about.

“If we can have our state captain at the back of the Marsh Cup, we will be very excited about that.”

The Scorchers take on the winner of Thursday’s clash between Sydney Sixers and Brisbane with more than 50,000 expected to pack Optus Stadium in the historic first ever decider at Burswood.