Photo Credit: Perth Scorchers
Perth Scorchers have welcomed a familiar face back into the fold, signing classy wicketkeeper-batter Sam Whiteman for the KFC BBL|13 season.
Whiteman’s homecoming follows two seasons with Sydney Thunder in BBL|11 and BBL|12, having previously worn orange between BBL|02 and BBL|09.
The elegant left-hander bagged three titles during his first stint playing for the Scorchers, saluting in BBL|03, BBL|04 and BBL|06.
He is equipped with the tools to bat anywhere in the order, starting the 2023-24 Marsh One-Day Cup season with fluent half-centuries against Queensland (62 from 52) and South Australia (89 from 91).
Of equal note are Whiteman’s leadership qualities and tactical nous, which were on display when he captained WA to the 2022-23 Marsh Sheffield Shield title.
Whiteman presents as the Scorchers’ primary wicketkeeping option if vice-captain Josh Inglis becomes unavailable.
Reflecting on his new Scorchers deal, Whiteman said:
“I’m stoked to be back playing in Perth over summer.
“We’re a tight-knit group at WA and the Scorchers squad is no different, so it’ll be awesome playing alongside my best mates during the Big Bash season.
“The whole group is incredibly motivated to win more silverware for the Club, and we’re confident we have the squad to take us all the way.
“I’m also excited to play in front of our passionate Members and fans at Optus Stadium. We saw the noise they made during last year’s Final, so that’s certainly something to look forward to.”
Perth Scorchers General Manager – High Performance Cricket & Elite Teams Kade Harvey said:
“Sam is already an integral part of our WA Men’s program, so we’re thrilled to have him at the Scorchers, as well.
“We’ve seen how dangerous he can be with the bat, while his leadership has come in on leaps and bounds over the last few years.
“It was also important for us to add another wicketkeeping option – a role Sam played well during our BBL|03, BBL|04 and BBL|06 championships.”
The Scorchers have two local list spots and one international spot to fill, following Whiteman’s recruitment.
Perth Scorchers list for BBL|13
Ashton Agar
Jason Behrendorff
Cooper Connolly
Zak Crawley (International – England)
Laurie Evans (International – England)
Aaron Hardie
Nick Hobson
Josh Inglis (vice-captain)
Matt Kelly
Mitch Marsh
Lance Morris
Jhye Richardson
Sam Whiteman
Ashton Turner (captain)
Andrew Tye
