Scorcher Hogg still grounded by hammy

The wily veteran will be missing once again, but Perth Scorchers coach Justin Langer is confident he still has enough weapons up his sleeve to beat the Sydney Thunder on Thursday night.

Star spinner Brad Hogg will miss his fourth straight match as he continues to battle a niggling hamstring issue.

Although Hogg is fit enough to bowl, he can’t run at 100 per cent and would be a liability in the field.

The Scorchers are riding high following consecutive wins over the Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Sixers, with their pace attack the standout.

Left-armer Jason Behrendorff has been superb all summer, while Andrew Tye, Yasir Arafat and Matt Dixon have also played key roles for the Scorchers.

In Monday’s win over the Sixers, the four paceman combined for seven wickets to skittle the home side for just 99.

Langer is backing his quartet to again fire against the Thunder, who boast enviable batting talent in the form of Jacques Kallis, Mike Hussey, Aiden Blizzard and Eoin Morgan.

“They’re used to playing on wickets that don’t bounce very much,” Langer said of the Thunder ahead of Thursday’s clash at the WACA Ground.

“We’ve got a good fast bowling attack now. They can expect to get some fire from our fast bowlers.”

Hogg has been a star for the Scorchers over the past three seasons, but Langer said he wasn’t prepared to risk the 43-year-old just yet.

“His hammy is still not coming up,” Langer said.

“He’s hobbling around in the field.

“One of the big things about Hoggy is his energy. He’s still a brilliant fielder at 43. He’s still one of the fittest guys in our squad.

“He knows he’s not 100 per cent yet. Probably not even 90 per cent yet. Hopefully give him a few more days (and he’ll get there).”

Langer praised the spirit of his group, but said their batting performances needed to improve after some lean showings.

The Thunder sit in sixth place following consecutive losses.

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