The Scorchers have confirmed skipper Ashton Turner will miss the rest of BBL|13 in a blow for their title defence
Perth skipper out for the season, Maxwell returns for Stars
The Perth Scorchers' KFC BBL title defence has been dealt a major blow with the club today confirming captain Ashton Turner will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Turner – a reliable presence in the Scorchers middle-order and astute leader – underwent surgery on his right knee this morning after scans on Thursday confirmed a meniscus tear.
The 30-year-old limped from the field clutching his knee after bowling his first delivery in their nine-wicket win over Hobart Hurricanes on Wednesday night.
The right-hander had been battling the same injury during the first half of the domestic season, which saw him miss Western Australia's last two Marsh Sheffield Shield matches and a Marsh One-Day Cup fixture before the BBL|13 break.
WA are yet to confirm whether Turner will miss the rest of the domestic summer following the Big Bash season, with Justin Langer-coached IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants also sweating on the allrounder's fitness after purchasing him for A$178,000 in this week's auction.
Turner underwent his fourth shoulder operation in 2019 but has had a solid run with injuries since that successful surgery, which involved relocating bone to make the joint sturdier to prevent it from dislocating.
Allrounder Aaron Hardie – one of those in line to take over the Scorchers' captaincy for the rest of BBL|13 – said a sign of a good team was other teammates stepping up to help out once Turner left the field against the Hurricanes.
In a statement, the club said they were working through the process of appointing a stand-in captain to be announced before their next match against Melbourne Renegades in Perth on Boxing Day.
It's understood Scorchers' vice-captain Josh Inglis, along with Hardie – who were both among a handful of players involved in calling the shots for the final 8.5 overs of the Hurricanes innings – are the two options being considered by coaching staff to replace Turner for the rest of the season.
"You don't plan for your captain to leave the field at any point," said Hardie.
"But there's certainly a few of us who are involved in the strategy meetings before the game, so we all know plans bowling to certain batsmen.
"I think a sign of a good team is that lots of people are willing to help out and there were certainly a few of us that were helping (with the captaincy)."
However, there's better news for on the injury front for last-placed Melbourne Stars who will welcome back their own skipper Glenn Maxwell for tomorrow's clash with Sydney Thunder in Albury.
The superstar allrounder missed the Stars' previous match against the Scorchers at the MCG on December 13 after tearing his forearm muscle while batting in the season opener against the Brisbane Heat.
It's a huge boost for the struggling Stars who have been comprehensively beaten in their first two games, having been bowled out for 111 and 101 respectively.
Maxwell is one of two additions, alongside batter Joe Burns, to the club's 17-player squad for the trip to Lavington Sports Ground.
Both the Thunder and Stars are winless in their two BBL|13 games so far and another loss would leave either side with an uphill battle to make the finals at the end of the regular season.
"In a 10-game season you can't afford to have a lackadaisical approach, you basically have to go out there all guns blazing early doors … to get a head start in the game to basically keep up with competition," said the Stars' Hilton Cartwright on the importance of the match against the Thunder.
"Brisbane Heat have won all their games so far, Perth Scorchers are in a similar boat, so for both teams, we're vying for the same thing and a huge part of it's going to be how that wicket plays and who can adapt the quickest."
KFC BBL|13 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HEA
|
10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.972 | 0 | 16 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.339 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.725 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
STR
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.331 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
HUR
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.268 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
STA
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -1.051 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
REN
|
10 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | -0.288 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
THU
|
10 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | -0.652 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
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