Justin Langer is on Australia duties in the West Indies but will be keeping an eye out for potential BBL imports
Langer dons two caps for Caribbean
Scorchers coach Justin Langer will use his stand-in position as Australia coach to cast his eye over some potential international signings for Perth ahead of next summer's KFC Big Bash.
Langer takes the reins of the national side from Darren Lehmann for the forthcoming ODI tri-series against West Indies and South Africa in the Caribbean, and the Test legend insists he is always on the lookout for fresh talent to bolster his Scorchers outfit, which missed the BBL final for the first time last summer.
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"I've got my Scorchers cap on every day of the week looking for the right people to bring across whether it's domestically or internationally," Langer told reporters ahead of his departure.
"So no doubt I'll have a look at a few of (the West Indies) players to see whether they fit the bill."
The Scorchers could certainly do worse than to recruit a West Indian, given both the impact they've had on the BBL as well as their standing as ICC World T20 champions.
Hero of the final in that tournament was big-hitting allrounder Carlos Brathwaite, who also impressed intermittently in Australia during the Windies' Test tour last summer and has already attracted interest from Hobart Hurricanes.
"We made contact with him before the World Cup, so (we're) disappointed that he put himself up in lights actually," Hurricanes general manager Michael Roberts told News Corp, tongue in cheek. "There’s a fair bit of interest in him now, not just in Big Bash but world cricket.
"The ball is in his court now. We’re waiting for him to come back with further discussions.
"You need these internationals to come in and really embrace what Big Bash is about without the ego ... from what I’ve heard about Carlos, he’s the perfect Big Bash model player."
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Langer made it clear that the Scorchers' international spots were far from settled, after England pair Michael Carberry and David Willey took the places in BBL|05.
Carberry was less effective than his maiden tournament in BBL|04, playing four matches this time around as Langer occasionally opted for the likes of Cameron Bancroft and Ashton Agar in his middle-order over the experienced Englishman, who finished with 87 runs including a top score of 62.
Willey played all nine matches for the Scorchers, and his clever varieties with the ball were a revelation, helping the allrounder to 10 wickets.
"We've still got two positions," Langer said. "David Willey was excellent last year, but he's only available for a few games."
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Brathwaite looms as a like-for-like replacement for Willey, and the West Indian, who fetched a massive AUD$886,000 from Delhi Daredevils in this year's IPL auction, has already expressed his desire to take part in one of the world's most prestigious domestic T20 tournaments.
"Well hopefully, that’s also a dream," he said of playing in Australia. "Once the franchises are interested and once Test cricket or international cricket allows then I'm available.
"David Hussey has been speaking to me since we played together at the (CPL team, Antigua) Hawksbills.
"I don't think it's ever quite materialised but congrats to him as well with Melbourne (Stars) and the job he's been doing with them, but whatever opportunities arise, I'm available."