Dwayne Smith to play for Perth Scorchers
PERTH, Australia (CMC) — Prolific West Indian batsman Dwayne Smith has signed as the Perth Scorchers’ second international player for new Big Bash League season.
Smith, 30, is an accomplished short-game specialist having represented Sussex, Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians and his country at T20 level.
The Barbadian all-rounder will join the Scorchers following incredible batting performances in the 2013 Champions League where he was named player of the series and helped Mumbai claim the title with 223 runs at an average of 55.75 and a stunning strike rate of 142.94.
“We witnessed first-hand how destructive he can be as a top-order, opening batsman,” said Perth coach Justin Langer.
“Dwayne is a fantastic batsman, he’s a brilliant fieldsman and he can bowl some overs, so he’s a great addition to the Scorchers”.
Smith joins South African Alfonso Thomas as Perth’s two international players.
His availability for the entirety of the BBL competition, as well as his stunning form over the past 12 months, had made him an attractive acquisition.
“He was very keen to get back to BBL so it was a pretty easy negotiation. He was high on the list, because of the challenges you have with securing overseas players,” said Langer.
“It is almost impossible to get current players to play for the duration, which was one of the criteria. We could have got some of the England players but we would have got one of the one-day guys for three or four games.”
Smith has previously played T20 cricket on Australian shores as a member of the NSW outfit in the 2009-10 Big Bash League.
The Scorchers begin their BBL campaign with a match against Brisbane Heat at the Gabba on December 22.
Perth Scorchers squad (one to be named): Simon Katich (c), Ashton Agar, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Liam Davis, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Dwayne Smith, Alfonso Thomas, Tom Triffitt, Ashton Turner, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman.