Philippe’s BBL masterclass has Aussie greats in awe

Josh Philippe's seemingly certain rise to Australia's white-ball ranks could happen sooner rather than later after his latest batting exploits. 

That's the opinion of a growing number of pundits, including Perth Scorchers skipper Mitch Marsh whose side was on the receiving end of an innings Adam Gilchrist described as a "T20 masterclass". 

Philippe piloted the Sydney Sixers to an eight-wicket win over the Scorchers on Wednesday night at the SCG, finishing unbeaten on 81 from 44 balls as the hosts hauled in a target of 132 with five overs to spare.

Former players Gilchrist and Mark Waugh plus current stars David Warner and Tim Paine were among those to shower the 22-year-old with praise during the KFC BBL clash.

Perth captain Marsh could understand why, describing Western Australia teammate Philippe as a huge talent.

"I think we'll see him play white-ball cricket for Australia in the near future," Marsh told reporters after making his return from a broken hand.

"Whether that's T20 … I know Dave Warner has talked about playing less T20 internationals now, so there will certainly be a spot for him.

"With guys like him, you need to get them in and get them playing (international cricket) as quickly as possible.

"No surprise (he played so well). It's never good when it's against us ... he batted beautifully. We weren't able to put any pressure on him and force him into a poor shot."

Gilchrist highlighted Philippe's composed batting but also his glovework, including a stumping off the bowling of Steve O'Keefe.

Alex Carey is expected to be behind the wickets at next October's Men's Twenty20 World Cup, which Australia is hosting.

However, Peter Handscomb was notably preferred ahead of Carey earlier this year during a T20 series in India.

"I'm not a selector anymore but if I was, I think Josh Phillipe would be high on the list to feature in white-ball cricket somewhere for Australia or Australia A," Waugh said.

The problem Philippe faces is a glut of options for Australia's selectors, a welcome headache for the national selectors, as Australia T20 captain Aaron Finch highlighted this week. 

"At the moment in the Australian T20 side there's myself, Dave (Warner) and Steve (Smith in the top three), so it's hard to just create positions for people," Finch said. 

"Guys like D'Arcy Short, 'Ferg' (Callum Ferguson) … there still has to be a spot for those guys to be picked. 

"It's not just as easy as saying, 'Oh he's in good form he has to play'. Sometimes the spot is just not there. "

Philippe will next get the chance to impress on Saturday afternoon when the Sixers meet the Adelaide Strikers in Alice Springs. 

He enjoyed a breakout summer last year, rising to prominence with a string of outstanding performances after being a late signing for the Sixers after he was overlooked by Perth. 

That created a tug-of-war between the Sixers and Scorchers ahead of BBL|09, but while Philippe is committed to WA for his first-class and domestic one-day cricket, he signed a three-year deal with the Sixers.

But his domestic form so far this summer had been "disappointing" by his own admission and saw him dumped from both WA's one-day and first-class sides. 

"I'm definitely looking forward to the Big Bash. It's come at a perfect time for me," Philippe told Seven West Media ahead of the BBL opener. 

"It's been a disappointing summer in a sense. It was extremely disappointing to miss out on the one-day final. That probably hit home the most and was really tough. 

"I guess we're really lucky in a sense that we've got a really strong list in WA. It's extremely disappointing but hopefully when it comes around next time I'm one of the players that have cemented their spot and isn't seen as an easy one to drop. 

"I don't feel like I've been necessarily hitting them poorly, I just probably haven't quite got that big score away."

The Sixers' season continues on Friday, when they face Hobart Hurricanes in the Northern Territory.

"I haven't played there. I've been there and it was extremely hot," Philippe said after collecting the BBL's Golden Cap as the tournament's leading run-scorer.

"The Hurricanes obviously have a very good side and the heat will be a challenge as well."

Steve Smith played a role in luring Philippe to the Sixers and the young gun is looking forward to lining up alongside the Australian No.1 when he joins the club in late January after the international window. 

"It's really exciting. It'll be nice to see what sort of weird stuff he gets up to out in the middle," Philippe said.

"That'll be pretty exciting, he's obviously world-class and learning anything from blokes like that is priceless. 

"I'm looking forward to the potential of playing with him and maybe being out there in the middle with him."

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