Du Plessis to revive Big Bash career with Scorchers

South African veteran Faf du Plessis will make a long-awaited second Big Bash appearance after being signed by the Perth Scorchers as a replacement player for KFC BBL|12.

Englishman Laurie Evans' positive result on an anti-doping test has opened the door for du Plessis' BBL lifeline after the former Proteas captain was overlooked in August's inaugural overseas player draft despite being one of 12 marquee players.

Evans, who was player of the match for Perth in last summer's BBL|11 final win against the Sydney Sixers, had his Scorchers contract ripped up last week after news broke of his positive result.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is still yet to make a statement, but the positive test had left Evans' availability for the tournament under a cloud with the middle-order batter facing a maximum ban of up to four years for the presence of banned substances under the organisation's anti-doping code.

Du Plessis joins West Indian superstar Andre Russell and New Zealand great Martin Guptill as the third big name international recruit given a second chance for BBL|12 after initially not being selected in the draft.

The 38-year-old comes into the Big Bash this summer following an outstanding 2022 in T20 cricket where he has been the world's 13th most prolific batter in the format with 1229 runs at 31.51.

The right-hander backed up an outstanding Indian Premier League season with Royal Challengers Bangalore (468 runs at 31.20) with an even better Caribbean Premier League for St Lucia Kings (332 at 41.50).

He is expected to be available for the Scorchers' first seven games of the season – including their season opening grand final rematch against the Sydney Sixers at Perth Stadium on December 17 – before jetting home to join Joburg Super Kings in South Africa's new domestic T20 league.

Evans' availability for the entire BBL|12 season had been a key factor in the Scorchers forgoing the opportunity to pick du Plessis with their first round platinum selection and retain the Englishman in the second round of the draft.

However, Perth will still have the opportunity to sign another replacement player for the second half of the season once du Plessis departs.

The Scorchers enter BBL|12 as the reigning champions having secured a record fourth title last summer and the South African star said he would use his stint the club to try and learn what had made them so successful.

"The first thing that jumps to mind is that Perth are four-time champions, which is very impressive. Any player who plays around the world wants to win competitions, so it's a great franchise to be part of," du Plessis said.

"I think it's important to learn from other people and organisations and find out why they're successful.

"I'm also excited to share my experiences and the things I've learned and hopefully that can be a great combination.

"It looks like (Perth Stadium) is probably the quickest wicket in the world.

"Watching the (T20) World Cup, the bounce looked very, very steep. The wickets in South Africa and Australia are quite similar with more pace and bounce than spin, so it is something I've grown up with and I'm looking forward to playing in Perth this summer."

Du Plessis has forged a reputation as one of T20 cricket's most destructive openers with four hundreds and 50 half centuries at a career strike rate of 130.85, and could form a formidable partnership at the top for the Scorchers line up with England's T20 World Cup winner Phil Salt.

He also boasts a formidable record in Australia, averaging more than 50 in both Tests (83.16 in nine innings) and one-day internationals (52.60 in 12 innings).

He has featured in the Big Bash once before, scoring 14 in a one-off appearance for the Melbourne Renegades just a couple of weeks after his famous match-saving 110no from 376 balls on Test debut in Adelaide.

Kade Harvey, WA Cricket General Manager High Performance, said the Scorchers were thrilled to sign a player of du Plessis' calibre at such short notice.

"His record in T20 cricket speaks for itself. He can play in all conditions, bat anywhere in the top six, and has proven himself at the highest level for more than a decade," said Harvey.

"Faf has been outstanding when playing for the Proteas in Australia, and he's no stranger to the sort of pace and bounce that (Perth) Stadium offers.

"We believe his versatility, experience and leadership will be really valuable to our squad, and we can't wait to get him around the group."

Perth Scorchers BBL|12 squad: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Tymal Mills (England), Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Phil Salt (England), Ashton Turner (c), Andrew Tye