Perth confirm controversial signing of Sciver-Brunt

Perth Scorchers have confirmed the worst-kept secret in the Big Bash, with superstar England allrounder Natalie Sciver-Brunt officially signing on for Weber WBBL|09.

Sciver-Brunt was granted permission by Cricket Australia to feature in the tournament despite not nominating for the overseas player draft, following a quicker-than-expected recovery from a knee injury.

Her addition is a massive boon for the club, who are desperate for a return to finals after finishing fifth in WBBL|08 a year after claiming the title.

"I loved my first stint with the Scorchers and also loved my time in WA. When the chance popped up to come back, I was very keen to make it happen," Sciver-Brunt said.

"We have a balanced squad with a lot of talent and I can tell there’s a lot of belief in our ability to win another title."

Sciver-Brunt’s late signing has been a significant talking point in the lead-up to the start of WBBL|09.

League guidelines state replacement players must come from the pool of draft nominees, but players can approach the league for special consideration should their circumstances change.

This was granted to Sciver-Brunt, whose recovery from a knee issue (subsequently receiving permission from the ECB to play in the Big Bash) coincided with Wyatt’s withdrawal.

She previously played two seasons with Perth, in WBBL|03 and WBBL|05. But Sciver-Brunt's most recent season in the WBBL was with the Melbourne Stars, where she helped the club reach the WBBL|06 final in 2020.

Had she nominated for the draft, the Stars would have had retention rights to the 31-year-old, with captain Meg Lanning on Tuesday expressing her disappointment at missing out on the chance to sign Sciver-Brunt.

"It's frustrating, because I think that the goalposts seem to shift a little bit and we didn't get a chance to get access to her," Lanning said this week.

After Sciver-Brunt was granted approval to play in WBBL|09, all clubs were given the opportunity to approach the 31-year-old and it is understood the Scorchers were not the only team to make an offer.

But the Scorchers were in a unique position to sign her, as the only club with a place available for an overseas player on their primary list and with considerable room in the salary cap made available by the withdrawal of Gold-level draftee Wyatt.

The club was Sciver-Brunt's preferred destination.

She will be available for eight games in the second half of the season, and her all-round skills will go a long way towards covering the huge hole left by South African Marizanne Kapp, who was drafted by Sydney Thunder.

Fellow England player Lauren Winfield-Hill will fill the overseas spot for their first six matches, with the pair filling the spot left vacant by draftee Danni Wyatt, who withdrew from the tournament citing fatigue.

They join the Scorchers’ other two overseas signings, New Zealander Sophie Devine and England wicketkeeper Amy Jones.

The combination of Winfield-Hill and Sciver-Brunt will likely mean the Scorchers take a flexible approach to how captain Devine slots into their batting order.

Devine has predominantly opened for the Scorchers since joining the club ahead of WBBL|06, but did shuffle down the order at times last season.

Winfield-Hill, who typically opens in T20 cricket, will likely join Aussie star Beth Mooney at the top of the order during her stint with the club, with Devine slotting in below them.

But Sciver-Brunt usually bats at No.3 or 4 in the format, meaning Devine could re-join Mooney in the second half of the tournament. 

"It's certainly something that we've spoken about," Devine told cricket.com.au when asked about the prospect of batting down the order. 

"It gives us a bit of flexibility when we've got options there at the top of the order.

"In the last 12-18 months, I've looked to move down with the White Ferns into that middle-order role, and it’s something that I'm really excited about. 

"If it's going to help us win games of cricket for Scorchers , I'm prepared to bat anywhere in the line-up ... I think that’s a great thing about the squad that we have been able to assemble, that we've got some real flexibility in that order." 

The Scorchers failed to make the finals last season after winning the previous season’s title.

That disappointment was a bitter pill to swallow and Devine agreed there was unfinished business for the club going into WBBL|09.

"It's one thing missing out on the trophy, but to miss out on the semis as well was really disappointing for us," Devine said. 

"I think we knew that we weren't near our best consistently last season and in this comp, you've got to be because any team can win it on the day. 

"We're certainly hungry, obviously having a bit of success a couple of years ago now. 

"We want to be bringing that trophy back west."

The Scorchers will travel to Tasmania to start their season against Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston on Friday night. 

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