Boyce floats leg-spin trio after re-signing for Strikers

Cameron Boyce believes the Adelaide Strikers should consider playing three leg-spinners next summer after the veteran re-signed with the club for a further two seasons.

Boyce has extended his time at the South Australian KFC Big Bash club until BBL|15 without knowing if coach Jason Gillespie and selectors will have their star leg spinner Rashid in the side after he sat out last season due to a back injury.

But the Strikers made up for the star tweaker's absence as Boyce and fellow leggie Lloyd Pope led a strong late-season surge.

"The best thing that Popey and I did this year was put some pressure on not only Rash but the Strikers as well to make some hard decisions,” Boyce told reporters on Tuesday.

"I think ultimately when you’re in an organisation and you’re making hard decisions, it’s the best thing for the team.

"I don’t know where Adelaide sits in terms of Rash at this point but I imagine he is going to be in the forefront of their minds come the draft and whatever happens there.

"Obviously it’s nice to have the season I did, it would be great to see Popey there again and it would be great to see Rash, I would love to play with him and I think all the fans would be excited to see a trio of spinners."

Boyce had a stunning BBL|13 where he was named in the Team of the Tournament after claiming his 100th wicket. He played a key role in powering his side into the finals after a tough 1-1-4 start to the campaign.

With his slow wrist-spin bowling, Boyce took 14 wickets, but it was his economy that was most impressive.

He had a stretch of two straight games without conceding a single boundary, taking 2-13 and 2-17 in consecutive matches in the Strikers' run to the finals which piled on the pressure and helped his fellow bowlers snag wickets.

It marked an impressive return to top form for the 35-year-old who missed BBL|10 due to health issues which threatened to end his career.

The former Melbourne Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes spinner, who played his first season in the competition for the Strikers back in BBL|02, said starting well would be a focus for his side next campaign.

“Ultimately if you look back at our season now, if we got our bowling to click earlier we probably would have put more of a stamp on the competition and hopefully finish in those top two spots,” he said.

“But this season was the way it was because of the way we played early in the season.

“Hopefully we can sort that out next year and show the Strikers fans what we’re capable of doing next year.”

Boyce became only the 10th player in Big Bash history to take 100 wickets and the second spin bowler to achieve the feat.

The 2018-19 Renegades Big Bash champion set some lofty goals for what shapes as the final few seasons of his professional career.

“We’re in a really happy position,” he said about the Strikers.

“Hopefully we can have some success on the field next year, I think our fans deserve that, our members deserve that.

“We probably owe it to ourselves to really push for this title over the next couple of years with the group that we have.

“I think we showed that we could do that this season and there’s high expectation I think going into the next couple of seasons.”

The Strikers were knocked out by Brisbane Heat in the Challenger final last season after an epic performance from Josh Brown.

Boyce is the first re-signing for the Adelaide Strikers this off-season.