Turner goes into bat against doubters

Allrounder Ashton Turner has launched a spirited defence of Perth Scorchers following repeated public questioning of the club's practices, insisting Western Australia's unrivalled cricketing culture is the overriding factor behind their ability to retain their best talent.

Former Australia T20 bowler Dirk Nannes became the latest to suggest the three-time KFC Big Bash League champions' knack of keeping so many of their stars is something that "needs to be looked at", echoing recent comments made by Melbourne Renegades veteran Brad Hodge.

Cricket Australia has refuted claims of any wrongdoing from BBL clubs, saying in a statement that it's "comfortable that clubs and states understand and contract within the rules, and this is rigorously monitored by CA’s integrity unit".

Turner, vice-captain of Western Australia's state side and one of the country's hottest young T20 prospects, suggested some of the Scorchers' top players are willing to sacrifice higher salaries for success and the opportunity to play in a unique environment. 

"We got told not to comment on it, but there's been some stuff come out in the media questioning how we go about things in Western Australia," Turner told cricket.com.au after scoring 70 off just 32 balls to lead Perth to a five-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades on Monday.

"We've built such a good culture that we don't need to pay guys top dollar. 

"I've got no idea about all those (payment) details, but I know firsthand that some of my best mates who are playing here, they're playing for the Scorchers because they love playing in Western Australia. 

"We don’t have any incentive to leave. As a result, we've got a group of best mates who love playing cricket together. 

"They love playing for the Scorchers. We've got an awesome support staff, our coaches are unbelievable and it's such a good place to play cricket. 

"As a result, we've had a bit of success, especially in this format."

While other BBL clubs' rosters do tend to feature a good chunk of players who also ply their trade in the same state, no side has been as reliant on local talent and eschewed interstate players like the Scorchers have.

Of their BBL|07 squad, only overseas signing David Willey, his replacement Tim Bresnan and Victorian James Muirhead are not current or former WA players. And among contracted Warriors players, only Marcus Stoinis (Melbourne Stars), Jono Wells (Adelaide Strikers), D'Arcy Short and David Moody (Hobart Hurricanes) are on the books of rival BBL clubs. 

Compare that to the Scorchers' opponents on Monday evening, for example. Just four of the Renegades XI (Hodge, Aaron Finch, Cameron White and ex-Warrior Marcus Harris) are current or former Victorian Bushrangers players, which is to be expected given there are two Big Bash teams in Melbourne.

The Scorchers have also this season elected not to fill their second overseas player slot, with Bresnan to replace his countryman Willey only now that he's left to join England's squad for the Gillette ODI series against Australia.

That's despite having their playing playing stocks severely affected by injury (Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Coulter-Nile have both been ruled out for the tournament, while Joel Paris only recently recovered from a quad issue) and national selection (Shaun and Mitch Marsh, Cameron Bancroft and Ashton Agar have all missed games through Test duties, while quicks Andrew Tye and Jhye Richardson are in Australia's ODI squad).

Former Test batsman Hodge caused a stir last month with his public query of the Scorchers' list management, and Nannes again brought up the issue while speaking on ABC Granstand's coverage of the Magellan Ashes.

"Perth is going to have a natural advantage because playing over there has always been hard," Nannes, who played 15 T20 games for Australia and featured for both the Renegades and Sydney Thunder, said in questioning the financial “fairness” of the competition.

"But when there is a little bit else in there and they have the ability to … manipulate the system to retain, I think there is an issue that needs to be looked at."

Hodge received boos from the parochial WACA crowd that numbered 22,475 on Monday, a BBL record for the venue, but Turner said the 43-year-old's remarks hadn't provided any extra niggle to the contest.

"We don’t need extra motivation," said Turner. "We're all hungry enough to try and win another Big Bash. 

"We've had that taste of success and it just keeps that fire ignited and we're hungry to go on and go deep in this tournament."

Warriors and Scorchers coach Justin Langer – who has led the Scorchers to their three BBL crowns and WA to this season's JLT One-Day Cup title, as well playing a key role in developing the likes of Test players Cameron Bancroft and the Marsh brothers – says WA's recipe for success is simple.

"What we do is back our kids," he said. "We've said it for five years now, we're going to back our West Australian talent.

"We keep backing our kids and we trust them. We’ve had three played make their debut this season … they're all having a taste of it. They're having a taste of it in a winning team. 

"We keep winning so they get it in their DNA that winning is a habit. One of the most important things about being successful, individually and collectively is knowing how to win."