Morne Morkel and maybe even Andrew Tye loom as inclusions as the Scorchers look to respond to loss against Adelaide
Star Scorchers inclusions loom as finals races heats up
Scorchers coach Adam Voges is happy to take the long way to the KFC BBL finals this year, saying he always thought his side's campaign would come down to the wire.
Perth missed a golden opportunity to lock in a finals berth when they went down to the in-form Strikers by 16 runs on Friday night, but Voges says he was always anticipating a nail-biter finish to the competition.
"We never like doing things easy," Voges said after the loss at Perth Stadium.
"I always felt it was probably going to come down to the game against the Thunder in Sydney (on Sunday), and it's proved to be the case.
"We played really well against them a couple of nights ago.
"As disappointing as tonight is, we take a lot of positives. I think we just got beaten by a better team on the night tonight.
"We dust ourselves off, get on the plane tomorrow morning and go again."
The Scorchers currently sit in fourth place on the ladder, with six sides still to play one game and the seventh-placed Heat and eighth-placed Renegades with two left.
After finishing with the wooden spoon in BBL08 – the first time Perth have ever failed to qualify for finals – Voges isn't fazed about being in the pressure cooker if it means still being in the contest.
"I think (in) every game there's pressure, particularly in the Big Bash," he said.
"How guys deal with it generally dictates the outcome of games.
"We've got an experienced group, and we played some good cricket.
"We didn't get over the line tonight, but (we're) really confident going into Sunday."
The Scorchers could field a different bowling attack in Sunday's clash, with at least one forced change due to Chris Jordan departing for England duties.
Experienced South African quick Morne Morkel is in line to make his BBL debut, with injured paceman Andrew Tye also looming as a potential inclusion late in the season.
"He's already over there (in Sydney) just checking with the surgeon to get that final tick, all clear," Voges said of Tye.
"He's probably only at 60 or 70 per cent at the moment, and he's doing everything possible to try and get right for finals.
"We'll give him every opportunity."