NSW captain Simon Katich has become the first player to divide his
cricketing loyalties across the continent, by signing with Perth
Scorchers for the new Big Bash League.
It will give him two home
states this summer, as the dumped 35-year-old Test opener has committed
to continuing with NSW in the longer forms of the game.
He was
among the first players signed to one of the eight franchises in the
city-based Twenty20 domestic competition, when the contract window
opened on Thursday.
Explosive West Indian opening batsman Chris Gayle will head the other way.
After
playing Twenty20 cricket for Western Australia in the past two seasons,
Gayle has committed to Sydney Thunder, one of two franchises in the NSW
capital.
He will open the batting with fellow big-hitting left-hander David Warner, who has also been signed by the Thunder.
The Scorchers had hoped to keep Gayle in WA, but their $250,000 offer was not enough for the West Indian.
Scorchers’
coach Mickey Arthur said it was a blow, but they had other
international players on their radar and could not afford to blow too
much of their $1 million salary cap on Gayle.
“Securing one
player, but running the risk of losing talented young players in the
process is simply not an option when you are trying to build a team from
scratch,” Arthur said.
The Perth outfit have locked in plenty of
local talent, with WA players Shaun Marsh, Marcus North and Luke
Pomersbach signed up, while long-time NSW batsman Katich is WA-born.
Queensland allrounder Ryan Harris is Brisbane Heat’s first signing.
The
main contracting window closes on July 22, with teams needing to sign a
minimum of 14 players and a maximum of 18, including up to two from
overseas, in that time.
