We can overcome key losses: Siddle

Peter Siddle claims it’s “disappointing” that the Adelaide Strikers lose three of their best players for the upcoming KFC Big Bash League finals campaign, but adds the franchise can learn from the Perth Scorchers who routinely rise above the ongoing scheduling conflict.

The Strikers will host Siddle’s former outfit Melbourne Renegades in Friday night’s knock-out semi-final at the Adelaide Oval without their skipper Travis Head, their leading scorer (and wicketkeeper) Alex Carey and their fastest bowler, Billy Stanlake.

All three have been included in the Australia line-up for the upcoming Gillette T20 International Series with England and New Zealand that begins at the SCG next Saturday, which means the second-placed Strikers will need to fill three key vacancies against the Renegades.

While Adelaide won’t name their squad for their semi-final until later this week, Siddle has indicated that Jonno Dean (who opened for the Strikers in their final group game against the Scorchers last week) is expected to fill Carey’s role at the top of the order.

The former Test seamer also foreshadowed that Wes Agar, younger brother of Australia spinner Ashton Agar, will replace Stanlake as “the menacing quick” and Harry Nielsen (son of ex-Australia coach Tim Nielsen) was the likely frontrunner to take over the keeping duties.

Nielsen was tonight added to the Strikers squad to replace Carey as specialist keeper, the 22-year-old having filled-in for South Africa during a tour match at Adelaide Oval in 2016 and scored 94 for the Cricket Australia XI against Siddle’s Victoria in this summer’s JLT One-Day Cup.

Even though Siddle concedes the Strikers feel a little “hard done by” as a result of the clash between the T20 International tri-series and the final week of BBL|07, he notes that the nation’s best limited-overs players have historically been forced to miss the domestic T20 competition.

And he adds that no franchise has been harder hit by selection ramifications and injury concerns than the reigning champions Perth Scorchers who, despite the significant disruption to their current campaign, finished on top of the ladder and will host the other semi-final on Thursday evening.

"It’s happened ever since the Big Bash has been a part (of the Australia summer)," Siddle said today when asked if the absence from BBL|07 final of the best-performed T20 players due to national selection compromised the domestic competition.

"The one-day format has always been played during the Big Bash and the international teams always have the best players, so I don’t think it affects it any way.

"Personally, for Adelaide, we feel a bit hard done by but it’s affected teams throughout the fixturing in any given season.

"It is disappointing, I know fans will be disappointed but that’s the way it is.

"We all play this game to represent Australia and I think if you speak to Heady (Head) or Kez (Carey) or Billy (Stanlake), they’re loving the opportunity to be playing for Australia.

"You want the best players playing all the time, but there’s so much cricket being played these days it is hard to get it 100 per cent right.

"If you look at a lot of other teams, they’ve lost a lot of players through the one-dayers and I think the (Perth) Scorchers are the perfect example for us to go into Friday night’s game.

"To just look at the way they’ve played, they’ve lost a lot of players through injury and selection throughout the tournament and still finished on top.

"If we can take a little leaf out of their book this and our depth can stand up and we can get the job done, it will show how strong Adelaide are as a team."

Siddle said the fact that the Renegades will also lose a key player – seamer Kane Richardson who is regarded as a specialist in closing out the ‘death overs’ at the end of an innings – to the Australia team helps to balance the ledger come Friday night.

He also noted that Adelaide have been required to fill Head’s absence a couple of times this summer after he was included in Australia’s ODI squad for the recent Gillette Series against England, and released for one BBL match midway through that campaign before rejoining the ODI outfit last week.

The need to fit a full BBL season among international commitments throughout an Australia summer meant that a number of the best white-ball players rarely have an opportunity to turn out for BBL franchises.

National captain Steve Smith played his most recent game for the Sydney Sixers in January 2014, while his deputy David Warner – who rose to international prominence via the 20-over format – hasn’t been seen in Sydney Thunder colours since 2013.

"From CA’s (Cricket Australia’s) point of view it’s tough, there’s lots of cricket to be played," Siddle said.

"Teams lose players during the one-day (international) series as well, so just because we’re losing a bulk at the back end we can’t complain too much because teams have lost multiple players through this whole tournament.

"In an ideal world you could play them (the competitions) all separately and everyone could be involved but it’s tough with the amount of cricket that is played these days to get it 100 per cent right.

"It’s close to being right, and over the next couple of years they’ll be trying to tinker with it to get it spot on.

"It won’t matter too much, I think we’ve got the players to fill the voids.

"That’s the good thing about having a good, strong squad – when they get their opportunity they can stand up and I think they’ll be ready to go."