Scorchers add English pair as their squad depth is tested

The Perth Scorchers have unveiled their final two international recruits for this summer's KFC BBL|11, with a pair of English players adding to the UK influx in this year's tournament.

Middle-order batter Laurie Evans and speedster Brydon Carse have signed for the West Australian club as the Scorchers look to go one better than their defeat in last season's final to the Sydney Sixers.

Right-armer Carse can hit speeds of more than 140km/h and he arrives off the back of a strong T20 Blast season where he claimed career-best figures of 3-30 for Durham.

The 26-year-old also made his international debut for England in July during a clean sweep of Pakistan in a three-match ODI series.

He claimed a career-best haul of 5-61 in the final game of the series, the second-best figures by an England bowler against Pakistan in ODIs.

Carse also hit 150 runs, including his maiden T20 half-century from 30 balls, in Durham’s Blast campaign alongside Scorchers’ batter Cameron Bancroft.

Evans is a 34-year-old from Surrey in London and has 184 T20 career matches to his name, boasting an impressive strike rate of 133.

The power hitter has played in the Caribbean, Bangladesh and Pakistan leagues, and featured in the debut season of The Hundred for the Oval Invincibles during the English summer.

He struck three half-centuries for Surrey in the Blast earlier this year and finished the competition with 298 runs, while in The Hundred he averaged 41 and had a strike rate of 151.

The announcement of Australia’s Ashes and A squads this week means the Scorchers look set to be without key players Jhye Richardson, Ashton Agar, Josh Inglis and Mitch Marsh for the early part of the season, which will test their squad depth.

The Scorchers currently have only 11 players to pick from for their first two games of the season given their A players as well as Carse, who will be with the England Lions squad, will be unavailable until after their tour match in Brisbane finishes on December 11.

BBL clubs can name replacement players during the season in the case of international selection, while the Scorchers still have two more vacancies on their contract list, which will be filled in the coming weeks.

Head coach Adam Voges said Evans would bring versatility, power and experience to the Scorchers batting line-up, while they will look for Carse make an impact with both ball and bat.

"(Carse) is an impressive young talent who … has the ability to take the game away from any opposition," Voges said.

Both players said they jumped at the chance to join the Scorchers, who have been the equal-most successful team in the BBL along with the Sixers, with three title each.

"I think over my career I have prided myself on being there at the end and winning games of cricket in tight situations, that’s what I’ll be looking to do," Evans said.

Perth Scorchers squad BBL|11: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Brydon Carse (England), Laurie Evans (England), Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Mitchell Marsh, Lance Morris, Colin Munro (New Zealand), Kurtis Patterson, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye (two to be added)