In the last BBL game played at Optus Stadium, a low-scoring knockout final back in January, Adelaide Strikers successfully deployed a spin-heavy attack that flummoxed Perth Scorchers and ended their dreams of a hat-trick of titles.
It was a stunning turn, pardon the pun, of events and underlined that spin can have a major impact on a surface renowned for being fast and bouncy much like the nearby WACA.
Scorchers, the competition’s most successful franchise, will be determined to bounce back but they could face challenges with their spin depth.
Left-arm wrist spinner Hamish McKenzie departed in the off-season after taking up a two-year deal with Stars having struggled to regularly crack into a Scorchers attack usually featuring Agar as their sole frontline spinner.
Agar has been a mainstay of Scorchers’ attack for years, relied upon to dry the scoring in the middle overs although he was expensive late last season. He has not played since suffering a shoulder injury during the Sheffield Shield last month.
Having been blooded into Australia’s white-ball teams, there was a lot of excitement heading into this season over Connolly whose x-factor allround ability has seen him likened to Travis Head.
But he’s been on the sidelines for the past month with a fractured hand after being whacked by a short delivery from Pakistan quick Mohammad Hasnain in the third ODI at Optus Stadium.
It was a premature end to Connolly’s first innings in international cricket, but he appears a chance to take his place against Stars after playing in Scorchers’ intra-squad match on Thursday at the WACA.
“I’m going to try and put my best foot forward to play on Sunday. But it’s up to the coaches to decide if I’m ready or not,” Connolly told ESPNcricinfo on Thursday. “It’s obviously frustrating [the injury]it wasn’t great timing. But it’s a small bump in the road and I’m just looking to keep a positive mindset.”
Connolly is still developing his left-arm orthodox bowling, but does boast a three-wicket haul among his 15 BBL games. The 21-year-old Connolly is set to assume more responsibility if Agar is absent, while his cavalier batting makes him a potential match-winner.
Connolly offers flexibility with the bat but failed to make an impact as an opener early last season. At this stage of his career, No. 6 is his preferred position and appears the best use of his ability to finish an innings as he memorably showed in the unforgettable final of BBL12 when he helped lift Scorchers to the title and became an instant cult hero.
“I like to be very versatile and I’m happy to bat anywhere from one to seven,” Connolly said. “But at this point in time, I probably see myself at six and want to try to knuckle down in that role and finish off the innings.”
Spoors, 25, was a highly touted top-order batter as a junior and received his first Western Australia contract while he was in high school. But he never played a senior game and was discarded in 2020 after three years on the list.
“I probably didn’t know my game too well and chopped and changed my technique a lot,” Spoors told ESPNcricinfo. “I listened to too many people when I was younger and probably couldn’t say no to the advice.”
With his cricket career in ruins, he tried his hand at Australian Rules Football, his other sporting passion, but the rough and tumble sport proved demanding for the diminutive Spoors.
He decided to give cricket another serious crack, with a particular focus on the T20 format amid the sport’s shifting landscape to franchise leagues. But a reinvention was required if he was going to make a professional career out of it.
Having always been able to bowl a “quick leggie”, Spoors focused on the craft of legspin and used Afghanistan talisman Rashid Khan as a blueprint.
“I could never really slow it up, that wasn’t really my game,” Spoors said about his legspin. “I’ve always been able to bowl a wrong’un and leggie, so being able to to do that fast…I’ve tried to utilise that and it’s the type of bowling that suits T20 cricket.”
He’s also worked on his power-hitting in a bid to turn himself into a specialist finisher.
“Playing Associate cricket helped my confidence,” he said. “I played on so many different pitches in different environments that it holds you in good stead. And meeting new people and being part of different cultures really expanded my horizons.”
Spoors took that form into last season’s local cricket competition in Perth where he shared the Olly Cooley Medal with Renegades batter Jono Wells for the top player in WA Premier Cricket.
He then impressed in August’s Top End T20 Series in Darwin to seal a contract with Scorchers before making his List A debut for WA against Victoria at the MCG last month. He didn’t get a chance to bowl and made just 4 off 12 balls at No. 6 in the rain-interrupted match, but more opportunities under brighter lights may be imminent.
Spoors already has an enthusiastic supporter in the Scorchers ranks with Connolly, his Scarborough team-mate in local cricket, a firm believer in his skill-set.
“I’m very close to him and we’ve had some good conversations about the game and being a spin allrounder,” Connolly said about Spoors. “I think if he gets an opportunity, he’ll be ready.”
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth
