Big Bash League: Jackson Barrett rates every Perth Scorchers player from opening win over Melbourne Stars

Perth Scorchers have kicked off their season with a big win over long-time rivals Melbourne Stars in Perth. The West’s Jackson Barrett rates every player’s performance in the season opener. Jhye Richardson: 9 Richardson bowled the four hardest overs of the innings and finished with 3-19. He bowled a brilliant new-ball spell, took 1-5 from an over in the power-surge and when the Scorchers went hunting a scalp later in the innings, he delivered by dismissing Beau Webster. A stunning return and a super promising sign for what could be to come. Cooper Connolly: 9 Perth were bold in elevating him to No.3, but the Scorchers star boy delivered. He battled a little bit early against a new ball but batted through a dicey period where top-order wickets fell around him on his way to a match-winning 64 off 51 balls. The high point was an outrageous shot over cover when Adam Milne gave him some width. Also took the key wicket of Tom Rogers out of the powerplay. Jason Behrendorff: 8 He had battled a little bit in overseas competitions of late but this was some way to start. Bowled just the fourth maiden of his Big Bash career to kick the season off and his opening spell was almost unplayable. Came back later to take the wicket of Hamish McKenzie. Ashton Turner: 8 Arrived at the crease inside four overs and was once again tasked with rescuing the innings. Paced his innings typically well around Connolly while he was on a heater and then settled in with Hobson to finish with 37 off 27. Pulled all the right levers with his stacked bowling attack too. Nick Hobson: 7 Had to ride his luck a little bit with the bat with his first boundary off the back of his bat and his second off the outside edge, but that’s the sort of fortune you are afforded late in the innings. Has been primed for this finishing role across the past two seasons and did it nicely with 27 off 14 including a monster six. Lance Morris: 6 Bowled four extras in a wrestle with his front foot but the big tick for the Scorchers was that his pace was up and his back-of-a-length stuff was genuinely scary. Didn’t look as if he had complete control in his first spell but bowled well when called on at the death and took the late wickets of Tom Curran and Adam Milne in his 2-30. Ashton Agar: 6 Took the big wicket of State teammate Hilton Cartwright and went at eight-an-over, which given the middle-order hitting the Stars offered the Scorchers would probably take. They would love his economy to come down this summer to allow Connolly and Aaron Hardie to be used as their game-breakers. Made a handy start. Andrew Tye: 4 A sharp run-out to stop Marcus Stoinis in his tracks was the best thing he did and they will be a little worried about his bowling. Got it wrong in an over to Tom Curran where he dug it in short and let him hit to the very short eastern boundary. He took 0-30 and they left an over on the table. Will be interesting to see how the seam attack shapes up when Hardie is fit to bowl. Finn Allen: 3 Wasn’t that a tease. Allen crunched his first ball in orange over cow corner for a massive bomb off countryman Adam Milne, but was then rolled by the next delivery, which Milne took away from him and out of his slot. The second ball probably didn’t need to go after the first one did, but it’s a good sign the Scorchers will back his kamikaze style. Matty Hurst: 3 Played one nice lofted drive off Curran, but like Jennings, his boundary was the only ball he scored off. Flicked a ball to mid-wicket in a disappointing dismissal when the Scorchers need someone to help them get into the innings. Was really clean with the gloves in Josh Inglis’ absence, which is a big tick in new conditions as the Scorchers sweat on their star ‘keeper’s availability. Keaton Jennings: 2 Played a well-controlled pull shot to put Peter Siddle away for four but chased two wide ones and the second one had him dismissed for four. Has worked hard in the lead-in on getting on top of the extra bounce, but it brought about his undoing on Sunday.