Perth – A six-wicket victory over Melbourne Stars has put Perth Scorchers back on top of the Big Bash ladder, and it owed plenty to a bowler still feeling his way after shoulder surgery. Jhye Richardson’s 4 for 16 from 3.2 overs – 15 of those balls were dots – ripped the game open on a lively Optus Stadium surface and settled an argument about whether the hosts are just as dangerous when they bowl first.
Scorchers skipper Ashton Turner finally won a bat-flip, only his second of the campaign. Rather than stick to the tried-and-tested method of piling up runs and defending later, Turner sent the Stars in. The decision was rewarded inside eight deliveries when Richardson swung one through Sam Harper. From there the quick rarely took a backward step, later removing Glenn Maxwell during the two-over Power Surge and tidying up the tail to close the innings.
“It’s been a process that’s probably taken slightly longer than what I would have liked,” Richardson admitted afterwards. “The nature of shoulder surgery is that nothing’s ever guaranteed.”
The right-armer has spent much of the season operating around 135-138 kilometres an hour, a touch down on the high-140s that once terrorised batters. Against the Stars he crept beyond 140kph and, more importantly in his eyes, found some late movement.
“To see the ball actually swinging again tonight was a real relief for me,” he said. “I think I can be very grateful and very proud of myself, I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get back here.”
Before this match Richardson owned only three wickets from four outings and an economy rate north of 11. A harsh reminder came during the Boxing Day Ashes Test, his first for Australia in nearly three years, where rhythm proved elusive. On Wednesday night, though, nearly 50,000 supporters sensed something closer to the old version.
Straight after play Richardson was asked if the top end of his speed range is still achievable. “I think so,” came the measured reply. “There’s still a process to go through with the shoulder. I think early on, there was such an emphasis on making sure that it was stable and making sure that the strength was good.
“But there’s also another element of it that involves trying to create power quickly and trying to train my shoulder to be able to create that power.”
His captain looked equally satisfied. Turner had watched his side lose eight successive flips yet still accumulate wins, so being able to choose first use of a green-tinged pitch felt like a bonus rather than a necessity. Pace partner Jason Behrendorff found seam, Andrew Tye mixed his variations cleverly and the Stars, who remain win-less when batting first, limped to a below-par total.
For Richardson the personal milestone sits within a wider picture. The Scorchers are already guaranteed to host both the Qualifier final and, should they stumble there, the Challenger. A record-extending sixth title is suddenly being talked about again, even if the squad itself prefers to keep that chat low-key.
“For us to lose eight [bat flips] in a row and still have the results that we’ve had, I think is real credit to the team,” Richardson said, tempering expectations but acknowledging the collective resilience.
A fortnight remains before finals begin, valuable time for the 27-year-old to chase those missing kilometres per hour. Opposition batters will hope he takes a little longer; recent evidence suggests they may not be so lucky.
