Big Bash League: Perth Scorchers captain Ashton Turner praises Cooper Connolly for covering lack of spin

Perth Scorchers took two major risks when they put together their list for an assault at a sixth Big Bash League title. On the contract list they started this season with was one frontline spinner and just one full-time wicketkeeper. It meant they relied heavily on Ashton Agar and Josh Inglis to be fit and available. Now as they prepare for the ninth final in club history — which Agar is unlikely to play in — captain Ashton Turner has paid tribute to the young players who have not just covered the cracks, but are now the stars of one of the league’s best bowling units. The Big Bash League powerhouse loaded up on batting depth in a bold off-season play that gave it the most powerful top seven in the competition. But they lost the two leading wicket-takers in club history after last season. Jason Behrendorff signed a three-year deal with Melbourne Renegades and Andrew Tye ended up at the same club after the Scorchers didn’t offer him a contract. Then speedster Lance Morris was ruled out for the season with a back injury, Jhye Richardson missed chunks of the campaign during the Ashes and import quick David Payne only arrived after the halfway mark. Connolly finished the regular season as the Scorchers’ leading wicket-taker and has completely changed the way they go about setting up their bowling innings. The 22-year-old — who was the batting hero of the Scorcher’s last title win in 2023 — has opened the bowling with his left-arm orthodox in seven of the club’s 11 games. Agar injured his calf in the January 4 victory over Adelaide Strikers and has not played since. “The one that has been a really important part of our bowling attack that probably has surpassed my expectations has been Cooper and the role that he has played, particularly not having Ash,” Turner told The West Australian. “We knew that when we went into the list management meetings when we were putting together our squad we had some great strengths but we also had some vulnerabilities. “Clearly having Josh Inglis and Ash Agar available was going to be really important for us. As we’ve seen it play out, Ash hasn’t been available for the last few games, but to have Cooper step up and bowl the way he has, has almost made that transition seamless. “While (Connolly and Agar) definitely are both part of our best team and can play alongside each other, Coop being able to take on that mantle of the No.1 spinner I think has been really important for our success.” It will also serve as a significant boost for Connolly’s international aspirations. While his form with the bat has faltered after a hot start, the rapid development of his bowling will make the Scarborough product — who has already played three formats for Australia — a genuine second or third spin option on overseas tours. Despite him only playing two games in his debut season last summer, the Scorchers didn’t see the selection of Beardman as a gamble this time around. And he enters Sunday’s final in blistering form after dismissing Steve Smith in Tuesday’s Qualifier final and picking up eight wickets in his past four matches. He has become one of the pace attack’s key enforcers, particularly with Richardson missing games in the thick of the season. “We have still got some experience, but there have been lots of question marks over Jhye’s availability, he clearly is one of the premier fast bowlers in the competition. Whether we had him or didn’t have him was going to go a long way to determining our success,” Turner said of his side’s pace stocks. “I think we have seen a little bit of Mahli over the last 12 months in different formats of domestic cricket. It probably hasn’t surprised any of us, his success.” Payne came into the side midway through the tournament after winning the ILT20 with Desert Vipers. The crafty veteran added another left-armed option to pair with Paris, which proved even more valuable when the West Aussie went down with a groin injury. “All these guys have stepped up and done amazingly. I certainly feel proud, I’m sure the coaching staff feel very proud of the young guys and the less experienced guys who have come in,” Payne told The West. “The batting takes care of itself, there’s not many better in the world than our top seven at the moment and they have a huge amount of experience, but it’s slightly different on the bowling front so the guys deserve a lot of credit.”