Perth Scorchers opener Shaun Marsh hopes to make a shock return from injury in Friday night’s Big Bash League final against Hobart, while scans will determine the availability of explosive opener Craig Simmons.
Marsh’s dream of earning a Test recall for the tour of South Africa were crushed when he injured his calf while playing for Australia in their one-day clash with England on January 26.
But the setback has opened the door for Marsh to appear in the BBL final at the WACA, with the 30-year-old named in Perth’s 13-man squad.
A final decision on his availability is likely to be made on game day, but skipper Simon Katich said the early signs were good.
“He’s done everything possible to get himself right,” Katich said on Thursday.
“We’ll have another interesting selection dilemma.”
Simmons, whose 112 from 58 balls helped the Scorchers soar to victory over the Sydney Sixers in Wednesday night’s rain-marred semi-final at the SCG, will undergo scans on Thursday to determine the extent of a hip injury.
The 31-year-old late bloomer is confident of being passed fit to play in what would be the biggest match of his fledgling career.
“It’s just a bit of a strain on the top of the hip,” Simmons said.
“Running between wickets it was a bit slippery. But it’s feeling pretty good.”
Perth have hosted the past two BBL finals, but came up short on each occasion.
Hobart coach Damien Wright said the pressure would be firmly on the Scorchers as the team attempts to snap a 10-year title drought for West Australian cricket.
“They were a bit unlucky in the first two (BBL finals), so I’m hoping that luck continues for them,” Wright said after arriving in Perth on Thursday.
“We went into the semi-final against the Stars with a really good attitude about taking on a team that was undefeated.
“We’ll probably let the Scorchers know they’ve had a couple of chances over here, too.”
Hobart only just scraped into the finals, but their hopes of continuing their fairytale run have been dealt a double blow.
Star allrounder Shoaib Malik has been called back home to play in Pakistan’s domestic competition, while paceman Ben Laughlin (quad) has also been ruled out.
Spinner Xavier Doherty is likely to earn a call-up after missing out on selection in the semi-final win over the Melbourne Stars.
Tickets for Friday’s match at the WACA sold out quickly on Thursday, with more than 20,000 fans set to descend on WA’s home of cricket.
Scorchers squad: Simon Katich (capt), Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, Brad Hogg, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Craig Simmons, Alfonso Thomas, Ashton Turner, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman.
Hurricanes squad: George Bailey (capt), Tim Paine, Travis Birt, Aiden Blizzard, Doug Bollinger, Cameron Boyce, Xavier Doherty, Ben Dunk, Evan Gulbis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Dimi Mascarenhas, Joe Mennie, Jon Wells.
