Perth Scorchers, the reigning Big Bash League champions, have replaced Laurie Evans with former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis for the upcoming campaign. Du Plessis has participated in numerous international T2O competitions and managed the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the IPL 2022.
During his time playing for the Proteas internationally in Australia, he scored some notable runs and averages above 50 in Tests and ODIs there. Although he hasn’t played much T20 cricket in the nation, Du Plessis has benefited from Perth’s plethora of bumpy tracks. Du Plessis will only be available for the first seven games, which is notable. “I’m really exciting to be signing with Perth Scorchers,” Du Plessis was quoted as saying by Perth Scorchers official website.
Du Plessis expressed his excitement at joining the four-time BBL champions, the most successful franchise in league history, and said it was a blessing in disguise. “I think 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.” Faf du Plessis said he wanted to talk about his experiences playing for various teams around the world and that he would probably soon get used to Perth’s bumpy conditions.
“I’m also keen to come in and learn. 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,” he added. “Looking from afar, it looks like Optus is probably the quickest wicket in the world. Watching the World Cup, the bounce looked very, very steep. Obviously, 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,” South AFrican star concluded.