England stars to stay on for Bash finale

The Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers will head into the KFC Big Bash League finals armed with two of their biggest weapons, after the clubs confirmed they would retain their England internationals for the play offs.

Strikers import Adil Rashid and Scorchers recruit David Willey are both members of England's limited-overs squad to play South Africa early next month, with the team due to assemble on January 23.

The BBL|05 final will be played on January 24 and both the Strikers and Scorchers are strong chances to play off for the title.

A Strikers spokesman confirmed the England and Wales Cricket Board would allow Rashid to arrive in South Africa slightly later than expected if necessary, a situation which will also apply to Willey should the Scorchers win their semi-final.

Quick single: Young Striker West out to impress

Rashid sits on top of the BBL wicket-taking table with 14 scalps at 12.64 and has played a major role in the Strikers' 6-1 win-loss record.

Watch: Rashid with a(nother) decisive spell

Strikers coach Gillespie told the Yorkshire Post their spinner was essential.

"If we make the semi-finals and final, we’ll have to be extra nice to Mr Strauss (Andrew Strauss, the England director of cricket)," Gillespie said earlier this week.

'We’ll have to ask Mr Strauss if ‘Rash’ can stay on a bit longer.

"He beats the bat on both sides and his variations have been absolute key,” he said.

"You can tell that opposition batsmen are pretty unsure about how to face him. They’re not picking him, that’s pretty obvious, so that’s been a real bonus for us."

Quick single: Big Bash: the race for finals

His form has his Strikers skipper, Brad Hodge, warning that he is likely to cause havoc for England at the World T20 in March.

"He's actually a superstar, to be honest," Hodge said.

"He's going to be tough work for the Aussies in the T20 World Cup. At least they get a good look at him here but he's pretty good."

Watch: Willey blasts three into the stands

While the Scorchers have not yet seen the best of explosive allrounder Willey with the bat – his highest score so far is 31 – but he has made a bigger impact with the ball, taking eight wickets including 3-22.

The Strikers are a strong chance to finish on top of the BBL table, needing only to defeat the Melbourne Renegades at Etihad Stadium on Monday night to seal their position, while the Scorchers must topple the Melbourne Stars at #TheFurnace on Saturday night to secure a home final.

The top four sides meet in semi-finals on Thursday, January 21, and Friday, January 22 (locations TBC), before the final on January 24, to be hosted by the highest-ranking qualifier.