England opener Jason Roy has signed up for Perth Scorchers for the upcoming season of the Big Bash League (BBL). The BBL club confirmed the signing on Thursday. In the process, the Scorchers became the first club to complete their roster for the forthcoming season.
Apart from the explosive opener, the Perth-based club has also added swing bowling firepower in Joel Paris and Cameron Gannon to complete its 18-man roster. Prior to signing Jason Roy, the Scorchers had secured the services of his compatriot Liam Livingstone too.
“The Perth Scorchers will possess devastating firepower at the top of the order in the upcoming Big Bash League season, with the signing of explosive England opening batsman Jason Roy,” Perth Scorchers said in a statement.
Expressing his delight over the deal, Jason Roy said he cannot wait to help contribute to as many wins as possible.
“The Scorchers squad looks very strong, I’m excited to be joining the club. I’ve heard the environment of the club is awesome and that it’s a place where everyone wants to help get the best out of each other,” the club’s official website quoted him as saying.
“I can’t wait to get amongst the boys and help contribute to as many wins as possible,” he added.
He’s here. He’s ready. 🗣️ #BBL10 #MADETOUGH pic.twitter.com/nAbIaWh67u
— Perth Scorchers (@ScorchersBBL) October 23, 2020
While Scorchers will be delighted with securing the services of England’s white-ball specialists, they might miss them for the initial phase of the tournament. The exact arrival dates for both players are yet to be confirmed after England agreed to tour South Africa for a limited-overs series from late November.
Livingstone is not a regular member of England’s setup but is in contention for a spot in the T20I side. On the other hand, Jason Roy is an indispensable part of England’s ODI and T20I sides. England’s tour of South Africa is scheduled to end on December 9 which might make the duo unavailable for the Scorchers until Christmas after they serve their 14-day quarantine on arrival in Australia.
Scorchers would be hoping that Roy lives up to the expectations. With over 200 T20 matches to his name, he has a wealth of experience. The right-handed batsman, who helped England win the World Cup last year, has a strike rate of 147.51 across his T20 International career.
He is also in good form at present. During last month’s T20 Blast, he had scored three half-centuries from five innings for Surrey including a 47-ball 66 in the Final against Nottinghamshire.
Perth Scorchers squad:
Ashton Agar, Fawad Ahmad, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cameron Gannon, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis , Matt Kelly, Liam Livingstone, Mitch Marsh (c), Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Jhye Richardson, Jason Roy, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman