READY FOR REDEMPTION
New Hurricanes master blaster set to fire
THE national selectors have delivered the Hurricanes an early Christmas present, with Hobart to unleash its own version of the “Awesome Foursome” for the back half of the Big Bash.
Having overlooked D’Arcy Short, Ben McDermott and Matthew Wade for the Australian one-day tour of India next month, the Hurricanes will be at full strength once Wade finishes his Test duties in early January.
With South African batsman David Miller, the Hurricanes’ top order of Wade, Short, McDermott and Jewell would be as intimidating as any in the history of the BBL.
Hurricanes coach Adam Griffith said the individuals’ loss is Hobart’s gain.
“Not good news for them, but it is good news for our team. But as I’ve said a million times we’d rather have players playing at the top level than playing with us,” Griffith said. “That is what we are trying to do as a group, try to develop our group to play at the highest level. On the flip side we get Ben to captain our group for the first half of the tournament and D’Arcy to open the batting which is a positive for the team.”
Miller is a domestic and international white-ball star for both South Africa and in the Indian Premier League, and will make his BBL debut on Friday having only landed in Hobart on Monday. Hobart is a happy hunting ground for
Miller, having plundered 139 off 108 balls for the Proteas against Australia at Blundstone Arena in 2018.
“It [the Hurricanes offer] actually came as bit of a last-minute from my side,” said Miller, 30. “To be honest I wasn’t going to come initially but I do have fond memories from here. I think I’d only been here for two days a couple of years ago and it was a good day.”
Wade will be available for the last seven games of the tournament, but Griffith said who would replace him at the top of the order for Friday’s opening game against the Sydney Sixers in Alice Springs was still being decided between Caleb Jewell and Mac Wright.
“They have both performed reasonably well for us in oneday cricket, both have scored a century this season,” Griffith said. “They’ve both done OK in club games and practice games so when we get there we will have a look at the conditions and what we are going to get opposition-wise so it will be a bit more of a gut feel I think.”
The only player unavailable for the first three-game block (the Sixers in Alice on Friday, the Stars in Moe on Sunday and the Renegades in Hobart on Christmas Eve) is fast bowler Scott Boland as he recovers from a side strain.
HURRICANES SQUAD: Ben McDermott (capt), Qais Ahmad, George Bailey, Nathan Ellis, James Faulkner, Caleb Jewell, Riley Meredith, Simon Milenko, David Miller, Tom Rogers, Clive Rose, D’Arcy Short, Mac Wright.