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Speaker 1: This episode of The Surge is brought to you by Origin, proud partners of Cricket Australia and powering the power Surge in BBL fifteen. After a wild forty game regular season, the BBL fifteen Finals are here.
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Speaker 2: Start to take the catch and beats the chest.
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Speaker 1: And after finishing on top of the table, Perth scorches speeds to Jay richardson DALs In ahead of the.
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Speaker 3: Qualifier he's gonna finish which four Melbourne Stars.
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Speaker 1: Veteran Peter Siddle is also back on the show ahead of his sides knockout final against the Hobart Hurricanes.
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Speaker 3: This is the Surge Day, everybody, and welcome to the Surge.
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Speaker 1: I'm Adam White as we look ahead to this year's final series BBL fifteen and what a final series we have ahead of us. But before that, we've got the Surge and we've got two stars that have figured really quite prominent throughout the course of this season. Particularly Peter Siddle has taken so many wickets for the Stars and has been here at the desk a number of times across the course of this year. So he will join us ahead of the game in Hobart and then Joy Richardson. As I mentioned, he's been brilliant for the Scorches, particularly in that back end of the tournament and particularly on Saturday night with four wickets of speed to help the Scorches secure top spot.
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Speaker 3: On the table.
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Speaker 1: So two big name guests to join us on the surge today. But what I thought I'd do is actually just go through what the final series looks like, almost like the calendar of events this week starting Tomorrow night, Tuesday night in Perth as the Scorches host the Sixers. It was an amazing finish to the home and away season with the Sixers coming from fifth to finish second after they beat the Heat on Sunday night at the Gabba. So they really propelled themselves not only into finals, but into a double chance situation. So the Sixers, that was a great win on the road against the Heat at the Gabba. And then so that's Tuesday night and then Wednesday night we've got the Hurricanes and the Stars. So the Hurricanes almost totally botched it up with that dramatic loss in their last home game, which meant that they lost any chance of a double chance. It looked like they were also going to miss miss out on having a final at all at home, but in the end, the way it played out, they finished third and they'll play the Stars who finished fourth. The Melbourne Stars for most of the first half of the season were on top of the table, but they had that little slip up in the middle phase and then losing that last game against the Scorches meant they went from potentially finishing top to actually finishing fourth, So so much changed in that last weekend of the regular season. So it's the Scorches and Sixes Tuesday night, the Hurricanes and Stars on Wednesday night, the qualified Tuesday night, the knockout Wednesday night, and then on Friday night, as you can see there, loser of the qualifiers, So the loser of the Scorches and Sixers will play the winner of the Hurricanes and Stars and that will be played at either of the Stadium or the SCG and then the final of course on Sunday night. So it's all said, I kind of feel like we've got the best four teams that have made it through to the finals, and it's laden full of stars and big teams as well. The Scorches and Sixers have been the best two teams in BBL history, and they've finished one and two on the table. Of course, the Hurricanes are the defending champions and then the Stars Full of Stars.
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Speaker 3: But they've never won a title.
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Speaker 1: So I kind of feel like we've got great storylines wherever it is that we look look at a bit of housekeeping. Now, I want to go through the leading run scorers and the leading wicket takers for the season. Now we're through all of our home and away games, and I can confirm that the BKT Goldenbat goes to David Warner, who's scored four hundred and thirty three runs by the end of the season, which is feet considering he finished with only eight of the ten games played and the Thunder finished on the bottom of the ladder, but he still managed to win that Golden Cap with four hundred and thirty three runs. Fin Allen was second with three hundred and eighty one runs. Sam Harper, who wore that Golden Cap for a lot of the first half of the tournament. He finished third with three hundred and seventy one runs. Matt Renshaw three point twenty four, and Aaron Hardy rounding out the top five with three hundred and seventeen runs. The BKT Golden Arm was a tie between Harris Ralph from the Stars and also Grindo Sandu from the Renegade, So both those two bowlers finished with eighteen wickets each. Peter Siddle sixteen, Tom Curran fifteen. It's not bad if it, is it considering we had stars in three of the first four spots on the table. Also on fifteen wickets was Lloyd Pope who had a great finish to the year. We also had Xavier Bartlett there with fifteen wickets, so that's the leading wicket takers and the leading run scorer through.
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Speaker 3: The home and away season.
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Speaker 1: So that sort of gets through all the preliminaries. Now it's time to talk to two of the stars that we'll be involved in this year's final series, and we'll start with the star, Peter Siddle.
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Speaker 2: Twelve wickets this season, Pete Siddle, Oh class could be thirty Yeah, first born one hundreds match. Pete Siddle gets that big wicket.
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Speaker 1: And Peter Siddle does join us on the surge as he gets ready for the big game against the Hurricanes down at Ninja Stadium on Wednesday night.
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Speaker 3: Pete, welcome back.
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Speaker 2: It cheers, guys, thanks for having me on.
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Speaker 1: Now I've got to ask you straight up, are you ready? Are you ready to go as a team but also as you individually?
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Speaker 4: Yeah, definitely. I think like I was saying to you earlier, that's yeah. At the start of the season, it's all about, you know, playing good cricket and making finals. Obviously you want to finish as high as you can, but the end goal is to make finals.
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Speaker 2: And yeah, we're here now.
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Speaker 4: Think our best cricket is some of the best in the comp Yeah. Now we just have to do it the hard way and obviously, yeah, play away from home if we want to. Yeah, to want to hold that trophy at the end. But yeah, I think everyone's excited now. Like I said, finals time, everyone's ready for it and looking forward to get down to the Hobart and having a crack.
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Speaker 1: What about you, that forty one year old body, you've got through the regulation games, the home and away games. Is your body ready for a final series and maybe three more matches?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely.
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Speaker 4: I think I said it when I first came onto the show earlier in the season that not having to prepare and play four day cricket definitely has the body in far better condition than it probably has been ever throughout a big bash. So yeah, it's feeling great. I'm feeling fresh, feeling ready, and yeah, I think just excited now to the opportunity to try and get down there and have a crack throughout this final series.
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Speaker 1: Take us back to last Saturday night because all not everything was on the line, but a chance to host a final, a chance to finish on top, so clearly there was an advantage for you if you were to win against the Scorches. What was the feeling like in the camp after the game?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think.
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Speaker 4: Similar to how I said to that started the show that you know, at the start of the season and our goal was to make finals, and you know, whatever position that is, so be it. But it was about making finals. So I think that was the messaging straight away afterwards. Is disappointing of a loss and what it could have given us and the opportunity it would have given us by finishing on top.
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Speaker 2: I think, like I said, we wanted to make it.
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Speaker 4: So we've ticked off the first goal, that's it, and now it's just about playing. So I think, yeah, as much as it was disappointing at the time, the excitement around the group about you know, being a part of a final series and playing finals, because yeah, got a good buzz about it.
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Speaker 2: The boys, the boys are keen.
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Speaker 4: There's a few messages flying around last night after the result, so we knew where we're going to finish and where we had to go. So yeah, boys is already and yeah looking forward to taking on the Hurricanes.
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Speaker 1: Does it help that you beat the Hurricanes earlier in the tournament to give you that sort of recent I guess confidence that you can beat the defending champions, Yeah.
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Speaker 3: For sure.
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Speaker 4: I think it's always Yeah, it's always nice knowing that, yeah you can, you can match it with with the teams you're coming up against, and yeah, like it was at the MCG, I know their record ain't great there and ours is a lot better, but it is promising that, yeah, we know what we have to do against them. We know they've got an unber legable record down there in Hobart. They played the ground so well. But yeah, I think, yeah, we're up and about, we're ready. We know what to expect from them and how they're going to go about it. But by already playing them, so yeah, now it's just about executing our skills and getting the job done here one more time to like you said, hopefully, yeah, three more games for us.
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Speaker 1: It's obvious that there's such a dangerous team with a firepower that they've got in their lineup, particularly the top, and you'll get bolder that it's help, you'll get to bolder the middle, and you'll get to bowlow at the end. Based on what you've done all year, but particularly on that pitch down at Hobart, that does tend to favor the bad as What are your plans for some of the armory that the Hurricanes do have.
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Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it's obviously, yeah, being prepared for anything. I think, yeah, like you said that, I've got a lot of power, firepower throughout that lineup, a lot of different style of players as well through that. So it's just being prepared because I think, yeah, the main goal more than anything down there is to try and yeah, reduce the run rate as much as you can throughout the whole innings. I know that's always the case. But on that ground, very batter friendly. It's a smallish ground compared to most around the country that you have to be spot on.
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Speaker 2: You have to execute and be consistent.
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Speaker 4: So I think, yeah, we'll have plans for individuals and the plans for how we're going to go about it, but yeah, the number one goal is tripped to try as best as we can keep that run rate down, and gradual wickets throughout plays a big part in restricting that to a lower total. So I think that the things that when we've been on fire with the ball this season and what we've done well as a bowling you that has been able to take consistent wickets and in T twenty cricket, that's you know, that's old. So yeah, hopefully yeah this week that that's the same case the bowling group can stick back together and take those crucial wickets and build the pressure.
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Speaker 1: Last time you're on the sage, you talked about your experiences of bowling at the Adelaide Oval, so the batter friendly Adelaide Oval and how much you learn about your own game and T twenty cricket playing so much cricket there, does that.
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Speaker 3: Experience help you down at Hobart?
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Speaker 1: Where As I said, you go to get a good pitch, you've got good batters to I don't know you've got better perspective or a better understanding of how to bowling those sorts of conditions against that sort of team.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, it does.
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Speaker 4: I think like you said, yeah, I think it's about, you know, preparing for your skills and knowing what your best balls are and what your you know, what you go to balls are when you're.
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Speaker 2: Trying to go defensively and under pressure.
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Speaker 4: But yeah, it's just at the end of the day, it is you just got to be a bit tighter and a bit a bit more consistent with the execution on those type of grounds.
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Speaker 2: We know that, Yeah, if you can nail your ball, the.
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Speaker 4: Perfect ball as best as possible each delivery, that it is going to trouble the batsman. And I think, yeah, as I said that, I think when we've been out our best, we've been able to do that a bit more consistently the most throughout the tournament so far. So it is you've got to be precise, because yeah, if you're not, like we said, the power in this lineup, you miss slightly, they're going to punish you. And I think, yeah, that's that's always the nervous thing about these games.
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Speaker 2: But the exciting thing.
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Speaker 4: You want to come up against the best and play against the best and perform against the best, and like you said, the reigning champs, they're one of those sides that they can be very destructive. So I think we've got to be prepared for the worst and you know, and ready to go and try and hold that firepower that they have now.
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Speaker 1: And the other thing that happens is that you get another battle with your good mate Matthew Wade. Now you've been teammates with him at a number of different teams over the years. Does he ever shut up, especially when he's up against his good mates, And do you ever get sacked in or do you feel that you just got to give a bit back talk to us about what it's.
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Speaker 3: Like out on the field with you and.
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Speaker 4: Wady, it's more just laughter and a bit of fun and a bit of banter. I think it's always a good challenge because, yeah, he wants to get he wants to get it over me and and I want to try and.
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Speaker 2: Get him out.
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Speaker 4: And I luckily got him out in that first game. It was going for six and Max he took one of his good patches, so I won out on that even though it was probably you know, his shot was probably the right shot, so circumstances like that.
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Speaker 2: They're always good to laugh about and have a bit of fun.
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Speaker 4: But I'd probably miss out on a lot of his banter because I think, yeah, a lot of it's usually when he's out there behind the stumps with the gloves on, giving it to the batters and you know, chirping at them. So I probably don't see it as much as as the other guys do.
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Speaker 2: But yeah, he's a competitor.
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Speaker 4: He's one of the one of the guys that I love playing alongside of for those reasons.
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Speaker 2: And yeah, he's dangerous.
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Speaker 4: He came out and played some nice shocks the other night against us when we played him, and thankfully we've got him more. The school score could have been totally different. But yeah, he's still one we've got to watch. And yeah, like we've said, they've got an unbelievable lineup even if Tim David's not in there, they've still got a lot of firepower, a lot of skilled players, and a lot of players that you know, Tim Ward and Nicky Chowdhury that have stood up this year for him in that batting lineup.
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Speaker 2: So it's yeah, it's gonna be a lot of fun as a bowler.
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Speaker 4: Like I said, you want to play against the best, and there's some of the best going around the moment.
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Speaker 1: How are you going to get Maxis going runs. We had him in here in this studio just last week and he was pretty relaxed about it. He's had a couple of its since and he still hasn't been able to quite capture his best. Is he just sort of just saving it all up for a final series.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what I'm That's what I'm That's what we're hanging with. I think.
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Speaker 4: I spoke after the game to the journos after the matching Perth and they were, yeah, they'll on him a little bit about you know, his performances throughout the home and away and yeah, and we know that he spoke about it that, yeah, he wasn't at his best and hasn't hasn't had the best season to date.
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Speaker 2: But one thing I said the other night to.
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Speaker 4: The journals was that the one area that we have seen him dominate and do really well and win games for his country is it World Cups and knockout tournaments over the years. And that's what it comes to now for us, is Yeah, it's do I die and we've got to win, and I think, you know, that's what we've seen him do for Australia. We've seen him pull them out of a lot of holes in these type of tournaments. So yeah, this tournament play type final series now for us is yeah, something that he thrives on and hopefully, Yeah, it does bring out the best in him and he can start for him because he gets on a role we go a long way to yeah, holding up that trophy.
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Speaker 3: Does his role change at all? Sids? Does he get pushed up the order a little bit to.
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Speaker 1: Give himself more time or is it very much he stays in that kind of I had to say this, but six seven type of type of role for the stars.
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Speaker 4: I think it's I think it's very much dependent. It's hard for me to comment because I'd usually spend all my time in the change room, so don't even don't even hear the chats that they have about when he might go out there and abat or might not. So, but I think, yeah, like I said, I think it's going to be match dependent, situation dependent of where he goes out and how he plays. But I think the one thing, you know, and probably a lot of fans know as well. I don't think anyone tells Maxi what to do. I think maxibat's how he wants about and how he's feeling on the night. So yeah, we've just got to trust that he's done it many times over the years.
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Speaker 2: For Australia, for the Stars, anywhere in the in the world, that he'll be ready.
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Speaker 4: We know he's preparing well, and yeah, like I said, he's knockout games or where he fires, and yeah, I'm excited to see him go off over the next couple of games, hopefully.
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Speaker 1: Book ending the conversation from what we had at the start of the year about the Stars and the only team that has won a title and the pressure that goes with that, and Peter Moores has given some great insights into what he has said to you guys about the whole idea of you know, I guess that's the opportunity to be the first team to win it rather than that the team that hasn't won it. Does that reset now you've got to a final series, Does the theming change, does he go back to it? What does what's been sitting in the change rooms about what's possible historically over the next week.
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Speaker 4: Yeah, I think that's the exciting way to look at it, and it's not nothing's going to change. I think I was lucky enough to be a part of that at the Strikers, to be the first, you know, first group of eleven players they've got to play and hold the trophy up and win the title, and to look back now that they've.
00:17:12
Speaker 2: Only won one as well and that I was a part of that is quite special.
00:17:16
Speaker 4: So yeah, the opportunity that stands in front of us to be able to potentially do that is still something that we're striving for. I think I spoke about making finals was the number one goal at the start of the year, and now it's you know, it turns to getting the job done in these next few games to hold that trophy up. So yeah, that's always going to be the goal. I think that opportunity is exciting. It's exciting, yes, to win a title. Many guys in the squad have won titles around the world in different teams and situations, but to yeah, to do it as a group of you know, we've had a lot of fun this year, we're good mates. To be able to, yeah, be a part of that would be even more special. So yeah, we're still striving for that. That's the goal we're chasing. And yeah, it won't change throughout these next few matches, and you know, if it's not to be, it's not to be.
00:18:05
Speaker 2: But it's you know, we've we've worked.
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Speaker 4: Hard, we've played well, we've played some amazing crickets so far this year that we've given ourselves every opportunity.
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Speaker 3: Is it driving you personally?
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Speaker 1: I've been noticing you particularly, I'll put Maxie and Stein. It's into that conversation as well, driving standards out on the field, bringing the passion, bringing the intensity, that there's something a little bit in an extra for you considering that you've only got probably what five or six years left in the game.
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Speaker 4: I don't know that many years, but no, definitely it's I think for me, since I retired from Test cricket, that's always been about, you know, like whatever game I play, it could be my last, and I know that it's actually it's lasted a lot longer than I probably thought it has.
00:18:51
Speaker 2: But I've always said that I want to be performing.
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Speaker 4: I don't want to be taken a spot just to you know, just to show up that if I'm playing I'm playing to win. I'm still to have the aggression, the passion, and that's always been the goal of playing cricket was to win matches for my team or whoever I'm playing for, and it's been no different this year. And I think knowing that this is the only format I'm playing now that yeah, that I've got to make the most of it. It's not like I've got a one day team or a four day team to go back to and try and win and get something out of this season. That this is all I'm playing this summer of cricket. So yeah, it's it's been exciting. I've been passionate, I've shown emotion. I just want to win bigger games for yeah, for cricket, games for the Stars, and I want I want to try and win that trophy.
00:19:35
Speaker 2: So I think it's shown throughout.
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Speaker 4: Yeah, a lot of the senior guys, but even the young guys have got on top of that, and I think that's helped their performance, is the way they've gone about it. Seeing Harps have the season he'd had Campbell callaway, see them buzzing around, Blake McDonald when he's come in and had his opportunity Tommy Rodgers, like those younger guys have been thriving and showing the same passion and bars that the older boys have, which is you know, I think it's made it for that we've been a fun team to watch this year, and I think that's a big part of it.
00:20:04
Speaker 3: Two more before we let you go, because I know you've got to get on a flight.
00:20:08
Speaker 1: Tom current and the role that you've had in him getting back to his best.
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Speaker 3: You've talked about how he.
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Speaker 1: Came out a little bit earlier this year and he almost gave him his own little sort of mini pre season.
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Speaker 3: We've seen him back to his absolute best.
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Speaker 1: And the feeling is that he's got to play well for you guys to be able to hold that trophy a loft on Sunday night. But do you feel a bit of personal satisfaction of the investment you've had Tom.
00:20:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely.
00:20:34
Speaker 3: I think yeah.
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Speaker 4: Just been able to be a part of it and help out and get the group buzzing, and the role he's play has been superb. That to bowl to up front most games and have the impact that he has is it's been our standing and it's gone a long way to us winning a lot of those games is you know, him taking early wickets massive for us.
00:20:55
Speaker 2: It puts a lot of pressure on the opposition from.
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Speaker 4: The word go, and yeah, hopefully that's all we hope and for again on Wednesday night. But yeah, he can do the same thing he's done for us all season. But yeah, I think him the preparation that he's put in the way he's got about it and the and the cricket that he's played for us shows why, you know why we initially recruited him, but why he's been one of the.
00:21:16
Speaker 2: Best around to play that role.
00:21:20
Speaker 4: It's a thankless role sometimes, you know, it's just having a bowl, a couple overs up front, which can go crazy, and even with batting, having a bat at seven or eight and slog a few with not many balls, it's a it's a hard task, but yeah, he does it superbly.
00:21:34
Speaker 2: And yeah, I.
00:21:35
Speaker 4: Think if we yeah for us to win, he's going to He's going to play some big games for us and play a big role. So he's been in fine form. And yeah, I've loved loved bowl at the other end with him and loved having him on my team as a teammate because he's a he's a true competitor.
00:21:48
Speaker 1: Now our next guest on the surge is Joy Richardson, so we're going to get the green perspective and then we're going to get the orange perspective from another fast bowler. He had to face him the other night on a hat tree. Now you've got a hat trick on your birthday. I'm shure over in the world knows that in test career. What was it like to face a hat trick in the in the Cauldron of Perth stating with Joe Richardson coming in bowling rockets.
00:22:13
Speaker 2: It was interesting.
00:22:14
Speaker 4: I think, Yeah, it's very rare that I have to bat at eleven in a big batch game, let alone going out to the face of hat trick ball, so I pretty much knew where the ball was going to be. I'm like, well, if i'm bowling this, I'm bowling and fast fall and straight That's what I'm going for. So if you had a bowld to my up around my ribs and head, that was probably in a lot of trouble because I was I was expecting it to be full at the stump, so I wouldn't have been in a position for it. But yeah, thankfully kept it out. Yeah, that's as it's always nervous going out to the face of hat trick ball. You don't want to be a part of it, especially the last one. The last one always seems worse than the first two. Don't really worry too much about it, but the last one you don't want to be that. But yeah, he bolt superbly, he put us under a lot of pressure and yeah, probably you know he was the difference in that game in the first half.
00:23:01
Speaker 2: Anyway, Well, you're.
00:23:03
Speaker 3: Going to have to do it the hard way.
00:23:04
Speaker 1: You've got a winning Hobart and then either winning Perth or Sydney and then win neither Perth or Sydney after that as well.
00:23:10
Speaker 3: But you did go on a great run at.
00:23:12
Speaker 1: The start of this year's tournament, so everyone knows what you're capable of doing. All the very best over the next week and let's see whether the Stars can finally win it.
00:23:20
Speaker 2: Cheers White. Yeah, it should be good fun. It'll make for a good story anyway, if we get the job done.
00:23:24
Speaker 4: It'll be amazing run.
00:23:27
Speaker 2: So yeah, fingers crossed and let's go green.
00:23:31
Speaker 1: Absolutely so the knockout on Wednesday night the Hurricanes and the Stars from Ninja Stadium.
00:23:36
Speaker 3: So that's Peter Settle talking about the stars.
00:23:39
Speaker 1: Next we will head over to the West and Jay Richardson, Australian Test bowler and also one of the stars from the Scorches, will join us on the search.
00:23:50
Speaker 2: Straight up, can they get Richardson? He's on the trip.
00:24:01
Speaker 3: And welcome back to the Surge.
00:24:03
Speaker 1: We have got Ji Richardson with us over in Perth, Gays being flying at the moment. He's played Test cricket on Boxing Day, four wickets for the Scorches on Saturday night to secure top spot and he's with us now. Gi things are going very nicely for you just at the moment.
00:24:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's taking a turn over the last week or so, which is nice. Probably haven't had the performances that I would have liked in the Big Bash coming back in but yeah, I mean it's nice to get one out of the way. It's nice and it's a bit of a relief to get a good performance on the board.
00:24:33
Speaker 3: You can look at it the other way as well.
00:24:35
Speaker 1: There's only what maybe less than two months ago that you were just coming back from serious shoulder injury playing club cricket to play on Boxing Day and now to play in the final series in the BBL.
00:24:46
Speaker 3: It's a lot's happening in a short period of time.
00:24:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, things have happened pretty quickly, and I think it's a good reminder that, you know, when performances haven't necessarily gone my way, Preparations looked very different compared to you know, previous years. Obviously I've had injuries previous years, but I've had a decent run into certain competitions, whereas things happen really really quickly. So it's taken a little bit of time to get back into the swing of things. But now I'm sort of raring to go and feeling confident with your bowling again. So it's been really nice.
00:25:22
Speaker 1: What have you learned about yourself and maybe your shelter, but particularly yourself over the last twelve months.
00:25:28
Speaker 2: I think just you know, trying to have that you know, mental resilience. It's obviously really difficult when you you know, stripped away from something that you love doing so much and you've had a taste of you know, playing higher honors and playing for Australia and then all of that gets ripped away pretty quickly and consistently, and not being able to have a consistent run at things It can be really frustrating, and I think naturally, as human beings, we always catastrophize a little bit, and you know, we always sort of sort of think of the worst case scenario, and that's natural when you have such a long period of rehab, you're never really sure if you're going to get back to where you were. You're never really sure if your shoulder is going to be good or whatever you have surgery on you never nothing's ever guaranteed when you go under the knife. So yeah, I mean just have to keep remembering to be proud of myself of you know, the last twelve months and getting back to playing cricket at a high level. But yeah, there's no doubt it can be frustrating and pretty draining at times.
00:26:36
Speaker 1: You've had issues with your shoulder before, but this time round was it. You never get to a point where you thought you might not have been able to get back because this time it felt maybe a little bit more serious.
00:26:48
Speaker 2: Well, I think my shoulder was always functional from a bowling point of view. I know it was it was obviously not stable, but bowling was never really the issue. It was throwing and diving, you know, and obviously high fiving all jokes aside getting into that position. I don't think it was any more serious as the first time. I think it was. It basically just presented itself as this needs some sort of intervention. We could probably go the route of leaving it and just seeing how we go, knowing that there's probably one hundred percent chance of it coming back out again, and what that looks like in a Test match. You know, if it gets to a point where it comes out again and I can't come back on the field. There's been a few times where it has come out and I have been able to get back on you know, that's pretty detrimental, especially if you're playing over five days, and you'd be pretty detrimental on the other fast ballers as well. So I wouldn't say from an actual biology point of view it was any more serious. It basically just presented itself as something needed to something needed to be done. It wasn't It wasn't in a position to you know, for people to feel confident going into games knowing that you know, there might not be an issue. So basically trying to mitigate some of the risk with this shoulder.
00:28:06
Speaker 1: And what about from a mental point of view just the I guess the mental fatigue to keep having to come back and to go again. I mean, I can't imagine how frustrating that would be and how draining would be to keep putting yourself through that kind of rehab to to get yourself back bowling, like we all know that you can bowl.
00:28:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, the first couple of times were really frustrating because I was sort of flying, I was going really well, felt really good with my body, and then obviously that first incident in the Uaa at Shahjah, just you know, all that got ripped away really quickly. And I was quite naive early on because there was a World Cup coming up as well, so I was like, you know, it'll be fine. We've got eight weeks of the World Cup. I'll be fine, and was very naive in the sense I didn't really understand how serious it was until we were a week before flying out to the World Cup and I could hardly bowl a couple of steps. So, yeah, it is frustrating and it has been a long process. But this time around, I think the difference was that I think, regardless it was the last crack at it, I think, you know, I've said in the media before, I think I would have regretted it more not knowing if surgery would work this time around, I think I would regret not knowing what could have been. I think if we left it and then I finished my career and go cheez. I wonder if I had that surgery. I wonder if any things would have been different. I wonder how it would have pulled up. I wonder if my throne would have got back that sort of thing. So now I've done it, it's a case of getting it to the best possible position we can get it to and whatever is, whatever that looks like, is what it is. We've given it a red hot crack and you know, that's all we can ask for.
00:29:53
Speaker 1: Really, how much confidence did it give you the fact that you got back into that Test team for Boxing day?
00:30:00
Speaker 3: It felt like it all happened really really quickly.
00:30:03
Speaker 1: But to be able to not so much just get back there and play, but have the confidence of the Australian selectors to know that you're still very much part of the current and future plans, just for your own disposition as much as as for your cricket that yep, it's still it's all systems go still yeah.
00:30:21
Speaker 2: I think the biggest one for me was actually, you know, the faith that Cricket Australia has shown in me, and you know, I haven't really had to run at it at all over the last few years and they've really you know, reassured me that they value me as a cricketer, which is really really nice. And we had a plan twelve months ago. We had surgery on January thirteen, twenty twenty.
00:30:44
Speaker 3: Five, yep.
00:30:48
Speaker 2: And the plan was always to get back for the back end of the ashes. That was what we set in place where we're like, we if we can get back there, then we think this is a fantastic result. And for that plan to come to fruition, albeit being completely honest, I think everyone expected me to be a little bit underdone and I probably felt a little bit underdone. But to actually get back there have that plan come to fruition is the biggest one for me and the biggest settler for me, because you know, we spoke about that for a long time, myself in Cricket Australia and all the Triple the SAM staff. We wanted that as the plan and you know, when when plans come off, it's always nice so yeah, that was that was an awesome feeling.
00:31:28
Speaker 1: Now, I've been watching this speak as you've gone through the summer, and the numbers just keep getting that little bit higher and a little bit higher. If you've been noticing it as well, is it something that you're kind of watching as a bit of a barometer as to how the shoulder's going and how your recovery continues.
00:31:43
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, we're slowly starting to creep up to what I expect from myself. I've got high expectations and high standards that I set for myself, and you know, I want to be up above that one forty mark, and to see a few pop up above that one forty is you know, it's a good feeling to know that things are slowly getting there. I mean, there's a long process with the shoulder in the first twelve months where it's all about getting the range back, making sure it's stable, and then the process doesn't actually stop there. You know, we've discussed around the plan and how we want to go about it in the next six to twelve months, and there's a lot of you know, emphasis on how my shoulder can create power quickly. You know, there's a difference between strength and stability and then actually being able to create that power at a rapid rate. So that'll be the focus over the next six months. Is you know, another lot of rehab. I guess you could say all bit a part of competition. You know that the shoulder stuff doesn't stop. It's not like you go through twelve months and then your rehab suddenly stops. There's still some key areas that we can focus on, so that'll be the next part of it, and making sure that I can get my bull speed as good as I can.
00:33:01
Speaker 1: So, Judie, do you have to reteach your body to bowl and to bowl fast? Or were you able to just get straight back and the action was the same as it was before the surgery.
00:33:13
Speaker 2: I don't know that you can get into some funny little habits when you have a bowled for a while, things that creep in that you never really thought about before. So it's more just about refining. It's not like you forget how to bowl, and you know your action is obviously somewhat natural to you, so that that wasn't the difficult thing. It's sort of these little little things that creep in that you just have to refine. So bowling, Yeah, it took a while. It was pretty sore for once we started bowling. It was pretty sore for the first few months at least. And it's not until you actually get back into a competitive environment. You go and play some club games, you go and play you know, center wicket or CA eleven or whatever it was, when you're actually in competition thinking about your execution rather than what your shoulders doing. Is that's kind of when you forget about your body and you just try and your pace naturally creeps up a little bit more and your shoulder sort of naturally lets go a little bit. I think when you're in the nets, either bowling to no one or bowling to batters or whatever it is, in a rehab setting, you're thinking about what your shoulders doing, You're thinking about your pace, you're thinking about this, that and the other, and you're not necessarily thinking about how to be competitive. So I think it's definitely the key is definitely to get into a competitive environment and play games. And that's sort of when your body starts to teach itself again to okay, well I can let go here and I don't have to be so protective.
00:34:41
Speaker 3: I've talked.
00:34:42
Speaker 1: I've spoken two sprinters, and they've often spoken about if you try and run fast, you often run slow. Is it a bit the same from a fast bowling point of view that if you try and bowl fast and try and get that gun back up over one one forty five, which are numbers that are very familiar with you, that sometimes it actually doesn't come out as fast as as it should.
00:35:05
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think so, because you know, the reality is when you're trying so hard, you're you know that everyone speaks about rhythm. Everyone speaks as a fastball, it's rhythm, rhythm, rhythm, which is very similar to what you just said about about the sprinters. It's, you know, making sure that biomechanically everything's right. It's making sure that you know your body's in the right position. You run up, you know, fluid and all of that. I think when you start to try and muscle it down, that's when you start to get you know, you start to change things with your action. You change things when you run up, You change things that you haven't necessarily taught your body to do or you haven't done a lot of So, yeah, things can go backwards, I guess because you're trying to do something that you haven't practiced. You're trying to muscle the ball down. So yeah, I mean that's why we say that rhythm is so because when you feel like you're in good rhythm, then the ball was obviously. I think it's you know you're in good rhythm when you're not trying to bowl quickly and your ball was coming out quickly.
00:36:11
Speaker 1: Absolutely, and one last one on you're bowling that. We think of yourself and Lances the two probably fastest bowlers outside of Mitchell Stark in Australia and it's kind of like, I feel like that's the future of fast bowling here in Australia.
00:36:24
Speaker 3: And you and Lance.
00:36:24
Speaker 1: You could probably put hell Vidler into that conversation as well.
00:36:27
Speaker 3: Up in Queensland. Is do you find that as a pressure.
00:36:31
Speaker 1: Or do you actually love the fact that you're spoken about as being one of the fastest bowlers in the country and that's your point of difference and a way that you do play cricket for your country.
00:36:42
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:36:42
Speaker 2: I think speed for me when I was young was really important. I think now, you know, while it is nice to bowl quickly, I think the reality is with international cricket you need something else. I think you need seem movement. I think you need swing. I think you need something else that can go with the speed, because I think you know that is now so good at just picking up pace using the pace you know, someone like just as an example, someone like Joe Root for example, like with pace on the ball with now the instruction of ramp shots, and you know how good he is at gliding the ball through third man with pace on I think you know you mentioned Starky as well. You know he does have that swing, he does have that scene movement, so he's also got another layer to that pace, which I think is super super important. So that's one area that I sort of that's the barometer for me. I think if I'm swinging the ball, then I'm in a good spot for me. It's not all about pace. Need to be doing something else as well.
00:37:47
Speaker 1: The scorch has had a big win on Saturday night to secure top spot, falling in front of the parochial home crowd. Just the the advantage you think you've got not only in being able to win on Saturday night against the Star, but as we start to look forward, now you've got two guaranteed finals, whether that's a qualifier and a grand final or potentially through the long way home, you've got two finals from here at home.
00:38:11
Speaker 2: I think home advantage is key for us. And also knowing, you know, specifically that the Sixers have to fly from Brizzie today to then play tomorrow in forty to go heat, I think is also another advantage for us. Knowing that we don't have to get on a plane is big because flying from Perth is obviously it's quite a lengthy flight no matter wherever you go. So yeah, that's an advantage for us and our home crowd. We know how loud they are, we know how opinion aid they are out in the field. They like to give it to the opposition and they like to support us, so yeah, it's a massive advantage. I love playing in front of our crowd. I mean, we had forty eight and a half thousand people their last game hoping to get something similar, albeit with the heat. But I mean, yeah, I think it fills you with confident and straight at the top of your mark, knowing that you've got forty to fifty thousand people supporting you. Yeah, it definitely fills you with another level of confidence and.
00:39:07
Speaker 1: It's a different looking bowling attack this year. You've lost a couple of year old mates, particularly Berendorf and also Tie and then some of the youngsters that have come through, not just fast ballers but at spinners as well. Have you enjoyed a different looking attack to be part of this year.
00:39:24
Speaker 2: I think it's great. I think new faces brings new skills. Right. You know, Marley, we know how good he's been on a domestic level for WA We've seen his progression, but I think even his progression in this Big Bash alone, from the start of the year sort of being in and out of the team to now securing his spot and performing really well. I mean, yeah, it's a credit to him. And you know Luke Holdt as well, getting an opportunity with AGAs not being available, you know as well. He loves it. He brings that sort of rookie energy when guys sort of make their debut at a young age, they're sort of little energizer bunnies and they lift the team because all they want to do is be out there. And we've seen it with him out in the field. He's buzzing around out in the field, he's putting his body on the line and he loves the celebration with runout, catch wick it, whatever it may be. So it's good to see these guys. And I think it's a credit to our program as well, and the depth of our squad and the depth of our younger players that we've got in wa to be able to, you know, pull them from you club cricket or domestic cricket or wherever it is, and for them to come and play a role in a really important one of that I think is a credit to our setup.
00:40:36
Speaker 3: That's via power the batting. It's so fun to watch.
00:40:39
Speaker 1: I mean, what Finalen's done through this tournament's been amazing. But then you've got Mitch marsh and then you've got Aaron Hardy. The list goes on, particularly when you've got Lorie Evans coming in at six or seven.
00:40:49
Speaker 3: What's it like to bowl to them in.
00:40:51
Speaker 1: The nets or do you just say no, no, no, no, no, I'm not doing that. I'm staying well away from them. That's too much actually a hazard.
00:41:00
Speaker 2: It's actually the opposite. They're like, nah, may just sit down, you know, you don't need a bowl here, which is good. I can hurt them, so it's more you know for us as well, it's it's difficult to get training training balls in actually because you know, it's it's sort of play fly, play recover. Yeah, so the coaches normally take that role, but I'm sure they're as nervous as we would be with the ball coming back at them twice as quickly. But I think as well, just on Finn the innings that he played the other night, we were under pressure. We know that we lost a few wickets early and one point thirty can be pretty tricky chase at times, well you can make it tricky. And for his development, you know, we saw last year he was, you know, go from ball one no matter what, and we knew that that was the way that he played, and I think he's played. He played a very mature innings the other night, and it was funny all the boys jokes. We sort of get together and debrief and do the team song and things like that, and the boys were stoked the fact that they saw finale and glide a ball to third man and get off strike for one, you know, that was just a credit to him. I know it doesn't sound like much, but we probably wouldn't have seen that from him previously and for him to bat through and almost get to the end, Yeah, he's a credit to him. He's done an amazing job.
00:42:27
Speaker 1: Particularly considering how he started his time at the Scorches last year. A lot of people wouldn't have known how good he was. And then he comes and starts so poorly for the Scorches last year, and you think, who have we got here?
00:42:40
Speaker 3: Him?
00:42:40
Speaker 1: To be able to turn it around the way he has. I think he's a real credit to his character. Do you sit there in the dugout at times and watch some of the shots that he plays and think and as you do that, and then also how would I bowl to someone like that when he's playing like that?
00:42:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, he just creates power out of nothing, doesn't he. You know, his his ability to the spin, to stay on the back foot and hit the ball straight is unbelievable. You know. We obviously know that he's strong and he's got a lot of power, but the fact that he's able to do it on a consistent basis is a credit to him, you know. And it's very different as well. You know, for him to play at optics we've seen on our away trips, you know, where he can target you know, the shortest straight boundaries or whatever it is. But I mean Marvel, we know is long straight and he was hitting balls off the back foot of ninety ninety five meters, which is unbelievable, and then on the flip side of that getting short balls that he's able to pull ninety to ninety five meters over the long boundary at optics. His adaptability is yeah, it's mind boggling, and his power it's crazy. Certainly good to watch, especially I know that we lost eight tosses in a row and we've bad at first, but you know, the freedom that that gives our batting lineup, it's cool to watch.
00:44:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely. It's a good point.
00:44:06
Speaker 1: Actually, the rivalry between you guys and the Sixers, it goes back a long way. You've been the two most successful teams. No one can argue that fact. But some of the battles that you've had, and you've been part of so many of them, what's that rivalry?
00:44:20
Speaker 2: Like, I think it's just nice. We know that they're obviously super successful and they have a very well From the outside, it looks like they have a very similar philosophy to us with their local players and things like that, and you know, they've obviously been very good and we've had a few tussles in the finals over the years. It's always nice to beat them. We always know that they're going to be a force to be reckoned with, and I think with the players that they've had come in in the latter stages of the of the year, obviously creates a new challenge for us. But we know how good we play at home. We know that teams don't necessarily like traveling to Perth to play. I think it's going to be a great battle. I think it's going to be you know, we always love beating them, and I can assure you that they would say the same thing that we're probably on the top of their list of teams to beat. So I think it's just naturally when the two most successful clubs come up against each other. It's almost that, you know, the I guess the what would you say? It's almost like not the rights to say that you're the best team, but it's you know, you always want to get one up on each other.
00:45:33
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if you've heard of this guy, but there's a guy called Steve Smith who plays for the six and SE's pretty good, and he's in really good form at the moment, and then he does feel like he's got a bit of a.
00:45:44
Speaker 3: Point to prove. This could be a good battle, you and him.
00:45:47
Speaker 2: I think so. I think it'll be good. I think, you know, we know. I think he scored I don't know what it was, but he scored a big score against us last year at SCG. But just brings a new challenge. I reckon he's obviously better than in test match trigger, but I think the wicket might be slightly different to what they get in test matches. Yeah, we'll see which team adapts adapt quicker, whether Steve sort of. I don't know. I think it's going to be a great battle. Hopefully we can get him out cheaply. But you know, we know, we know how good he is.
00:46:22
Speaker 1: Is he the hardest to bowl to just because of his idiosyncrasies, Just how different he is, the way he moves around the creese, the way he engineers the ball into into unusual places. That does that make him know that his average is that to speak to themselves, but just the way he is at the crease, not to be distracted with what he's doing and just focus on what you're doing.
00:46:45
Speaker 3: Is does that make it hard?
00:46:47
Speaker 2: Oh? I don't think it's the idiosyncrasies themselves that make it difficult. I think when everything's on display, when I think Steve Smith is displaying everything and doing random things, I think that's when you know he's in the contest. And I think that is what's probably more intimidating than the actual actions themselves. I think you know that he's ready for the fight, he's ready to do everything, and you know that he can hit the ball in strange areas. So yeah, I don't think it's necessarily the idio syncrasies themselves. It's the fact that you know he's in the contest when they're on display.
00:47:28
Speaker 1: And then you and Mitchell Stark we're talking before about rivalries between the teams. Mitchell bowling one forty five at one end and you hopefully bowing one forty five from the same end but in different colors. Is that something that you kind of use as a bit of actual fear.
00:47:43
Speaker 2: Car potentially, But I think the reality is, you know, you have to concentrate on your own game. I think there will be an element on you know, let's say, if they ball first, it'll be interesting to see, you know, getting a couple of little ideas, whether or not you know he's swinging the ball, whether or not he's not swinging the ball, what the pitcher is doing. It's not so much about what he's doing on a personal level that will get me going. It's more about seeing, you know, what we can expect, you know, if they bowl first or be looking at if he's swinging the ball, if the ball is doing anything off the wicket. So I think we know if Stark is up and running, then he's swinging the ball nicely. Like he saw the other night as well, he was swinging the ball and got early wickets. So yeah, it's more about just seeing what happens generally rather than you know what Stark he's doing on a personal level, I guess.
00:48:34
Speaker 1: And just one final one on the scorches and just the success you've had, and I guess the culture it's often spoken about, not just with the scorches but with Western Australian cricket, going back to you know, the Langer led teams to Addam Voja's what what do you think make the scorches so special?
00:48:51
Speaker 2: Joh, I think we just play for each other. I think we're such a tight knit group. We obviously played together. A lot of us play together twelve months of the year, so we're very accustomed to each other's company. We know how each other play, and I think that's the beauty of this team is that we we know the roles of everyone. Everyone's very clear on their role, Everyone's very clear on how they want to go about it. And I think it's that shared accountability piece where you know, I know exactly how at is going to go about things. I know exactly how Mitch is going to go about things, so we can one hundred percent trust that there's no questions being asked. There's no questions around preparation, there's no questions around methods. It's complete trust in each other, which I think holds us in good stead no matter what happens. And you know, if there's no there's no sense of defeat. You know, if we have a you know, we get bold out for one twenty, we're going to We're going to back out our bowlers to give it a red hot crack. And on the flip side, if we you know, poorly with the ball or you know, we're going to back our batters to get it. There's just complete trust in one another.
00:50:06
Speaker 1: And then you've had nearly two hundred thousand fans turned up to watch you play your home games this year. It feels like the fans they almost want to be as much a scorch of player, young kids as they grow up as they do actually wanting to play for Australia. That parochialism, that passion for the state, the passion for the scorches is is really quite palpable.
00:50:26
Speaker 2: It is, it truly is. It's incredible, you know. I mean, the fans that we have, they're so supportive. We certainly know when we're doing poorly, but equally we know when we're doing really well. So I was driving home the other night from the game, and you know, you've got the mattagoat Bridge all lit up in orange. You've got the new Bridge over the other side of the city which was lit up orange. You've got the Whacker lit up orange. Op. This was all orange. And I said to my fiance at the time when we were driving home, I said, this is such an awesome feel of community. You know, you're driving home and you're seeing the whole city lit up in orange to support us and It's just it's an incredible feeling knowing that your state backs you. And yeah, it was. It gave me goosebumps. It was. It was really cool. It was really really cool.
00:51:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's great insight, great insight. Now, I just spoke to Peter Siddle before on the Surgeon. You spoke about having to go out and face you on a on a hat trick bowl the other night, and he knows what it's like to take.
00:51:27
Speaker 3: A hat trick in test cricket.
00:51:28
Speaker 1: He was just waiting for that yorker from you. He just knew that you were going to bowl falling straight. If you had your time again, what have you served up something different? Or you just would have bowled that one and maybe a bit quicker because it wasn't.
00:51:40
Speaker 3: Too far away. It was online.
00:51:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, I look hindsight, it's wonderful. You could have gone or hit the top of off. It's probably the hardest ball to hit, but I think you know, I backed my skills to hit a yorker. Unfortunately it didn't come off a little bit too full. But if I hit the mark, then I know that it's still a different good ball to face, And I think, you know, we speak about confidence and backing your skills, and I wanted to back my skill and bowl Yorker. I think, you know, equally as good as the patrick would have been and the wicket would have been. I still think, you know, dot balls are invaluable in T twenty cricket, So the fact that it's still a dot ball, yeah, still happy, but time again hindsight is wonderful, but I think New York is the player well.
00:52:26
Speaker 1: Joe, thank you so much for spending some time with us on the surge today. Great insights into your recovery. I think there's so many people, just cricket fans around Australia that are so thrilled that you're back in full flight again, bowling like you've always bowled for your country but also for your state and for the scorches. All the best in the final series, and all the best for hopefully what will be a really busy next couple of years playing for your country.
00:52:50
Speaker 3: It's just great to have you back.
00:52:52
Speaker 2: Appreciate it.
00:52:53
Speaker 1: Thank you Joe Richardson joining us on the Surge ahead of what will hopefully be for him a big week. So a special thanks to both Joe Richardson and also Peter Siddle joining us on the surge as we look ahead to the final series. So don't forget Tuesday night, it's the big one over in the West, the Scorches taking on the six is the winner straight through to Sunday Night's Grand Final. Wednesday night in Hobart it is the Hurricanes up against the Stars and we just have to wait to see what happens after that, with a game on Friday before that final on Sunday. Stap today with everything on the BBL and WBBLR.
00:53:32
Speaker 3: That's what you've got to get. You've got to get that.
00:53:33
Speaker 1: You get all the news, all the stats, all the information ahead of what shapes to be truly one of the best final.
00:53:39
Speaker 3: Series we have seen in BBL history. So until next time, we'll catch you on the Surge.
Speaker 1: This episode of The Surge is brought to you by Origin, proud partners of Cricket Australia and powering the power Surge in BBL fifteen. After a wild forty game regular season, the BBL fifteen Finals are here.
00:00:19
Speaker 2: Start to take the catch and beats the chest.
00:00:22
Speaker 1: And after finishing on top of the table, Perth scorches speeds to Jay richardson DALs In ahead of the.
00:00:28
Speaker 3: Qualifier he's gonna finish which four Melbourne Stars.
00:00:32
Speaker 1: Veteran Peter Siddle is also back on the show ahead of his sides knockout final against the Hobart Hurricanes.
00:00:38
Speaker 3: This is the Surge Day, everybody, and welcome to the Surge.
00:00:47
Speaker 1: I'm Adam White as we look ahead to this year's final series BBL fifteen and what a final series we have ahead of us. But before that, we've got the Surge and we've got two stars that have figured really quite prominent throughout the course of this season. Particularly Peter Siddle has taken so many wickets for the Stars and has been here at the desk a number of times across the course of this year. So he will join us ahead of the game in Hobart and then Joy Richardson. As I mentioned, he's been brilliant for the Scorches, particularly in that back end of the tournament and particularly on Saturday night with four wickets of speed to help the Scorches secure top spot.
00:01:25
Speaker 3: On the table.
00:01:26
Speaker 1: So two big name guests to join us on the surge today. But what I thought I'd do is actually just go through what the final series looks like, almost like the calendar of events this week starting Tomorrow night, Tuesday night in Perth as the Scorches host the Sixers. It was an amazing finish to the home and away season with the Sixers coming from fifth to finish second after they beat the Heat on Sunday night at the Gabba. So they really propelled themselves not only into finals, but into a double chance situation. So the Sixers, that was a great win on the road against the Heat at the Gabba. And then so that's Tuesday night and then Wednesday night we've got the Hurricanes and the Stars. So the Hurricanes almost totally botched it up with that dramatic loss in their last home game, which meant that they lost any chance of a double chance. It looked like they were also going to miss miss out on having a final at all at home, but in the end, the way it played out, they finished third and they'll play the Stars who finished fourth. The Melbourne Stars for most of the first half of the season were on top of the table, but they had that little slip up in the middle phase and then losing that last game against the Scorches meant they went from potentially finishing top to actually finishing fourth, So so much changed in that last weekend of the regular season. So it's the Scorches and Sixes Tuesday night, the Hurricanes and Stars on Wednesday night, the qualified Tuesday night, the knockout Wednesday night, and then on Friday night, as you can see there, loser of the qualifiers, So the loser of the Scorches and Sixers will play the winner of the Hurricanes and Stars and that will be played at either of the Stadium or the SCG and then the final of course on Sunday night. So it's all said, I kind of feel like we've got the best four teams that have made it through to the finals, and it's laden full of stars and big teams as well. The Scorches and Sixers have been the best two teams in BBL history, and they've finished one and two on the table. Of course, the Hurricanes are the defending champions and then the Stars Full of Stars.
00:03:34
Speaker 3: But they've never won a title.
00:03:36
Speaker 1: So I kind of feel like we've got great storylines wherever it is that we look look at a bit of housekeeping. Now, I want to go through the leading run scorers and the leading wicket takers for the season. Now we're through all of our home and away games, and I can confirm that the BKT Goldenbat goes to David Warner, who's scored four hundred and thirty three runs by the end of the season, which is feet considering he finished with only eight of the ten games played and the Thunder finished on the bottom of the ladder, but he still managed to win that Golden Cap with four hundred and thirty three runs. Fin Allen was second with three hundred and eighty one runs. Sam Harper, who wore that Golden Cap for a lot of the first half of the tournament. He finished third with three hundred and seventy one runs. Matt Renshaw three point twenty four, and Aaron Hardy rounding out the top five with three hundred and seventeen runs. The BKT Golden Arm was a tie between Harris Ralph from the Stars and also Grindo Sandu from the Renegade, So both those two bowlers finished with eighteen wickets each. Peter Siddle sixteen, Tom Curran fifteen. It's not bad if it, is it considering we had stars in three of the first four spots on the table. Also on fifteen wickets was Lloyd Pope who had a great finish to the year. We also had Xavier Bartlett there with fifteen wickets, so that's the leading wicket takers and the leading run scorer through.
00:05:00
Speaker 3: The home and away season.
00:05:02
Speaker 1: So that sort of gets through all the preliminaries. Now it's time to talk to two of the stars that we'll be involved in this year's final series, and we'll start with the star, Peter Siddle.
00:05:14
Speaker 2: Twelve wickets this season, Pete Siddle, Oh class could be thirty Yeah, first born one hundreds match. Pete Siddle gets that big wicket.
00:05:27
Speaker 1: And Peter Siddle does join us on the surge as he gets ready for the big game against the Hurricanes down at Ninja Stadium on Wednesday night.
00:05:35
Speaker 3: Pete, welcome back.
00:05:37
Speaker 2: It cheers, guys, thanks for having me on.
00:05:39
Speaker 1: Now I've got to ask you straight up, are you ready? Are you ready to go as a team but also as you individually?
00:05:45
Speaker 4: Yeah, definitely. I think like I was saying to you earlier, that's yeah. At the start of the season, it's all about, you know, playing good cricket and making finals. Obviously you want to finish as high as you can, but the end goal is to make finals.
00:05:58
Speaker 2: And yeah, we're here now.
00:06:00
Speaker 4: Think our best cricket is some of the best in the comp Yeah. Now we just have to do it the hard way and obviously, yeah, play away from home if we want to. Yeah, to want to hold that trophy at the end. But yeah, I think everyone's excited now. Like I said, finals time, everyone's ready for it and looking forward to get down to the Hobart and having a crack.
00:06:18
Speaker 1: What about you, that forty one year old body, you've got through the regulation games, the home and away games. Is your body ready for a final series and maybe three more matches?
00:06:29
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely.
00:06:30
Speaker 4: I think I said it when I first came onto the show earlier in the season that not having to prepare and play four day cricket definitely has the body in far better condition than it probably has been ever throughout a big bash. So yeah, it's feeling great. I'm feeling fresh, feeling ready, and yeah, I think just excited now to the opportunity to try and get down there and have a crack throughout this final series.
00:06:54
Speaker 1: Take us back to last Saturday night because all not everything was on the line, but a chance to host a final, a chance to finish on top, so clearly there was an advantage for you if you were to win against the Scorches. What was the feeling like in the camp after the game?
00:07:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think.
00:07:10
Speaker 4: Similar to how I said to that started the show that you know, at the start of the season and our goal was to make finals, and you know, whatever position that is, so be it. But it was about making finals. So I think that was the messaging straight away afterwards. Is disappointing of a loss and what it could have given us and the opportunity it would have given us by finishing on top.
00:07:31
Speaker 2: I think, like I said, we wanted to make it.
00:07:35
Speaker 4: So we've ticked off the first goal, that's it, and now it's just about playing. So I think, yeah, as much as it was disappointing at the time, the excitement around the group about you know, being a part of a final series and playing finals, because yeah, got a good buzz about it.
00:07:50
Speaker 2: The boys, the boys are keen.
00:07:51
Speaker 4: There's a few messages flying around last night after the result, so we knew where we're going to finish and where we had to go. So yeah, boys is already and yeah looking forward to taking on the Hurricanes.
00:08:03
Speaker 1: Does it help that you beat the Hurricanes earlier in the tournament to give you that sort of recent I guess confidence that you can beat the defending champions, Yeah.
00:08:13
Speaker 3: For sure.
00:08:13
Speaker 4: I think it's always Yeah, it's always nice knowing that, yeah you can, you can match it with with the teams you're coming up against, and yeah, like it was at the MCG, I know their record ain't great there and ours is a lot better, but it is promising that, yeah, we know what we have to do against them. We know they've got an unber legable record down there in Hobart. They played the ground so well. But yeah, I think, yeah, we're up and about, we're ready. We know what to expect from them and how they're going to go about it. But by already playing them, so yeah, now it's just about executing our skills and getting the job done here one more time to like you said, hopefully, yeah, three more games for us.
00:08:53
Speaker 1: It's obvious that there's such a dangerous team with a firepower that they've got in their lineup, particularly the top, and you'll get bolder that it's help, you'll get to bolder the middle, and you'll get to bowlow at the end. Based on what you've done all year, but particularly on that pitch down at Hobart, that does tend to favor the bad as What are your plans for some of the armory that the Hurricanes do have.
00:09:15
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it's obviously, yeah, being prepared for anything. I think, yeah, like you said that, I've got a lot of power, firepower throughout that lineup, a lot of different style of players as well through that. So it's just being prepared because I think, yeah, the main goal more than anything down there is to try and yeah, reduce the run rate as much as you can throughout the whole innings. I know that's always the case. But on that ground, very batter friendly. It's a smallish ground compared to most around the country that you have to be spot on.
00:09:49
Speaker 2: You have to execute and be consistent.
00:09:52
Speaker 4: So I think, yeah, we'll have plans for individuals and the plans for how we're going to go about it, but yeah, the number one goal is tripped to try as best as we can keep that run rate down, and gradual wickets throughout plays a big part in restricting that to a lower total. So I think that the things that when we've been on fire with the ball this season and what we've done well as a bowling you that has been able to take consistent wickets and in T twenty cricket, that's you know, that's old. So yeah, hopefully yeah this week that that's the same case the bowling group can stick back together and take those crucial wickets and build the pressure.
00:10:31
Speaker 1: Last time you're on the sage, you talked about your experiences of bowling at the Adelaide Oval, so the batter friendly Adelaide Oval and how much you learn about your own game and T twenty cricket playing so much cricket there, does that.
00:10:43
Speaker 3: Experience help you down at Hobart?
00:10:46
Speaker 1: Where As I said, you go to get a good pitch, you've got good batters to I don't know you've got better perspective or a better understanding of how to bowling those sorts of conditions against that sort of team.
00:10:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, it does.
00:10:57
Speaker 4: I think like you said, yeah, I think it's about, you know, preparing for your skills and knowing what your best balls are and what your you know, what you go to balls are when you're.
00:11:09
Speaker 2: Trying to go defensively and under pressure.
00:11:12
Speaker 4: But yeah, it's just at the end of the day, it is you just got to be a bit tighter and a bit a bit more consistent with the execution on those type of grounds.
00:11:22
Speaker 2: We know that, Yeah, if you can nail your ball, the.
00:11:25
Speaker 4: Perfect ball as best as possible each delivery, that it is going to trouble the batsman. And I think, yeah, as I said that, I think when we've been out our best, we've been able to do that a bit more consistently the most throughout the tournament so far. So it is you've got to be precise, because yeah, if you're not, like we said, the power in this lineup, you miss slightly, they're going to punish you. And I think, yeah, that's that's always the nervous thing about these games.
00:11:55
Speaker 2: But the exciting thing.
00:11:56
Speaker 4: You want to come up against the best and play against the best and perform against the best, and like you said, the reigning champs, they're one of those sides that they can be very destructive. So I think we've got to be prepared for the worst and you know, and ready to go and try and hold that firepower that they have now.
00:12:14
Speaker 1: And the other thing that happens is that you get another battle with your good mate Matthew Wade. Now you've been teammates with him at a number of different teams over the years. Does he ever shut up, especially when he's up against his good mates, And do you ever get sacked in or do you feel that you just got to give a bit back talk to us about what it's.
00:12:36
Speaker 3: Like out on the field with you and.
00:12:37
Speaker 4: Wady, it's more just laughter and a bit of fun and a bit of banter. I think it's always a good challenge because, yeah, he wants to get he wants to get it over me and and I want to try and.
00:12:46
Speaker 2: Get him out.
00:12:47
Speaker 4: And I luckily got him out in that first game. It was going for six and Max he took one of his good patches, so I won out on that even though it was probably you know, his shot was probably the right shot, so circumstances like that.
00:13:01
Speaker 2: They're always good to laugh about and have a bit of fun.
00:13:03
Speaker 4: But I'd probably miss out on a lot of his banter because I think, yeah, a lot of it's usually when he's out there behind the stumps with the gloves on, giving it to the batters and you know, chirping at them. So I probably don't see it as much as as the other guys do.
00:13:18
Speaker 2: But yeah, he's a competitor.
00:13:21
Speaker 4: He's one of the one of the guys that I love playing alongside of for those reasons.
00:13:26
Speaker 2: And yeah, he's dangerous.
00:13:29
Speaker 4: He came out and played some nice shocks the other night against us when we played him, and thankfully we've got him more. The school score could have been totally different. But yeah, he's still one we've got to watch. And yeah, like we've said, they've got an unbelievable lineup even if Tim David's not in there, they've still got a lot of firepower, a lot of skilled players, and a lot of players that you know, Tim Ward and Nicky Chowdhury that have stood up this year for him in that batting lineup.
00:13:53
Speaker 2: So it's yeah, it's gonna be a lot of fun as a bowler.
00:13:56
Speaker 4: Like I said, you want to play against the best, and there's some of the best going around the moment.
00:14:00
Speaker 1: How are you going to get Maxis going runs. We had him in here in this studio just last week and he was pretty relaxed about it. He's had a couple of its since and he still hasn't been able to quite capture his best. Is he just sort of just saving it all up for a final series.
00:14:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what I'm That's what I'm That's what we're hanging with. I think.
00:14:17
Speaker 4: I spoke after the game to the journos after the matching Perth and they were, yeah, they'll on him a little bit about you know, his performances throughout the home and away and yeah, and we know that he spoke about it that, yeah, he wasn't at his best and hasn't hasn't had the best season to date.
00:14:32
Speaker 2: But one thing I said the other night to.
00:14:35
Speaker 4: The journals was that the one area that we have seen him dominate and do really well and win games for his country is it World Cups and knockout tournaments over the years. And that's what it comes to now for us, is Yeah, it's do I die and we've got to win, and I think, you know, that's what we've seen him do for Australia. We've seen him pull them out of a lot of holes in these type of tournaments. So yeah, this tournament play type final series now for us is yeah, something that he thrives on and hopefully, Yeah, it does bring out the best in him and he can start for him because he gets on a role we go a long way to yeah, holding up that trophy.
00:15:13
Speaker 3: Does his role change at all? Sids? Does he get pushed up the order a little bit to.
00:15:18
Speaker 1: Give himself more time or is it very much he stays in that kind of I had to say this, but six seven type of type of role for the stars.
00:15:29
Speaker 4: I think it's I think it's very much dependent. It's hard for me to comment because I'd usually spend all my time in the change room, so don't even don't even hear the chats that they have about when he might go out there and abat or might not. So, but I think, yeah, like I said, I think it's going to be match dependent, situation dependent of where he goes out and how he plays. But I think the one thing, you know, and probably a lot of fans know as well. I don't think anyone tells Maxi what to do. I think maxibat's how he wants about and how he's feeling on the night. So yeah, we've just got to trust that he's done it many times over the years.
00:16:07
Speaker 2: For Australia, for the Stars, anywhere in the in the world, that he'll be ready.
00:16:12
Speaker 4: We know he's preparing well, and yeah, like I said, he's knockout games or where he fires, and yeah, I'm excited to see him go off over the next couple of games, hopefully.
00:16:24
Speaker 1: Book ending the conversation from what we had at the start of the year about the Stars and the only team that has won a title and the pressure that goes with that, and Peter Moores has given some great insights into what he has said to you guys about the whole idea of you know, I guess that's the opportunity to be the first team to win it rather than that the team that hasn't won it. Does that reset now you've got to a final series, Does the theming change, does he go back to it? What does what's been sitting in the change rooms about what's possible historically over the next week.
00:16:56
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think that's the exciting way to look at it, and it's not nothing's going to change. I think I was lucky enough to be a part of that at the Strikers, to be the first, you know, first group of eleven players they've got to play and hold the trophy up and win the title, and to look back now that they've.
00:17:12
Speaker 2: Only won one as well and that I was a part of that is quite special.
00:17:16
Speaker 4: So yeah, the opportunity that stands in front of us to be able to potentially do that is still something that we're striving for. I think I spoke about making finals was the number one goal at the start of the year, and now it's you know, it turns to getting the job done in these next few games to hold that trophy up. So yeah, that's always going to be the goal. I think that opportunity is exciting. It's exciting, yes, to win a title. Many guys in the squad have won titles around the world in different teams and situations, but to yeah, to do it as a group of you know, we've had a lot of fun this year, we're good mates. To be able to, yeah, be a part of that would be even more special. So yeah, we're still striving for that. That's the goal we're chasing. And yeah, it won't change throughout these next few matches, and you know, if it's not to be, it's not to be.
00:18:05
Speaker 2: But it's you know, we've we've worked.
00:18:07
Speaker 4: Hard, we've played well, we've played some amazing crickets so far this year that we've given ourselves every opportunity.
00:18:14
Speaker 3: Is it driving you personally?
00:18:16
Speaker 1: I've been noticing you particularly, I'll put Maxie and Stein. It's into that conversation as well, driving standards out on the field, bringing the passion, bringing the intensity, that there's something a little bit in an extra for you considering that you've only got probably what five or six years left in the game.
00:18:34
Speaker 4: I don't know that many years, but no, definitely it's I think for me, since I retired from Test cricket, that's always been about, you know, like whatever game I play, it could be my last, and I know that it's actually it's lasted a lot longer than I probably thought it has.
00:18:51
Speaker 2: But I've always said that I want to be performing.
00:18:54
Speaker 4: I don't want to be taken a spot just to you know, just to show up that if I'm playing I'm playing to win. I'm still to have the aggression, the passion, and that's always been the goal of playing cricket was to win matches for my team or whoever I'm playing for, and it's been no different this year. And I think knowing that this is the only format I'm playing now that yeah, that I've got to make the most of it. It's not like I've got a one day team or a four day team to go back to and try and win and get something out of this season. That this is all I'm playing this summer of cricket. So yeah, it's it's been exciting. I've been passionate, I've shown emotion. I just want to win bigger games for yeah, for cricket, games for the Stars, and I want I want to try and win that trophy.
00:19:35
Speaker 2: So I think it's shown throughout.
00:19:37
Speaker 4: Yeah, a lot of the senior guys, but even the young guys have got on top of that, and I think that's helped their performance, is the way they've gone about it. Seeing Harps have the season he'd had Campbell callaway, see them buzzing around, Blake McDonald when he's come in and had his opportunity Tommy Rodgers, like those younger guys have been thriving and showing the same passion and bars that the older boys have, which is you know, I think it's made it for that we've been a fun team to watch this year, and I think that's a big part of it.
00:20:04
Speaker 3: Two more before we let you go, because I know you've got to get on a flight.
00:20:08
Speaker 1: Tom current and the role that you've had in him getting back to his best.
00:20:12
Speaker 3: You've talked about how he.
00:20:14
Speaker 1: Came out a little bit earlier this year and he almost gave him his own little sort of mini pre season.
00:20:19
Speaker 3: We've seen him back to his absolute best.
00:20:21
Speaker 1: And the feeling is that he's got to play well for you guys to be able to hold that trophy a loft on Sunday night. But do you feel a bit of personal satisfaction of the investment you've had Tom.
00:20:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely.
00:20:34
Speaker 3: I think yeah.
00:20:35
Speaker 4: Just been able to be a part of it and help out and get the group buzzing, and the role he's play has been superb. That to bowl to up front most games and have the impact that he has is it's been our standing and it's gone a long way to us winning a lot of those games is you know, him taking early wickets massive for us.
00:20:55
Speaker 2: It puts a lot of pressure on the opposition from.
00:20:56
Speaker 4: The word go, and yeah, hopefully that's all we hope and for again on Wednesday night. But yeah, he can do the same thing he's done for us all season. But yeah, I think him the preparation that he's put in the way he's got about it and the and the cricket that he's played for us shows why, you know why we initially recruited him, but why he's been one of the.
00:21:16
Speaker 2: Best around to play that role.
00:21:20
Speaker 4: It's a thankless role sometimes, you know, it's just having a bowl, a couple overs up front, which can go crazy, and even with batting, having a bat at seven or eight and slog a few with not many balls, it's a it's a hard task, but yeah, he does it superbly.
00:21:34
Speaker 2: And yeah, I.
00:21:35
Speaker 4: Think if we yeah for us to win, he's going to He's going to play some big games for us and play a big role. So he's been in fine form. And yeah, I've loved loved bowl at the other end with him and loved having him on my team as a teammate because he's a he's a true competitor.
00:21:48
Speaker 1: Now our next guest on the surge is Joy Richardson, so we're going to get the green perspective and then we're going to get the orange perspective from another fast bowler. He had to face him the other night on a hat tree. Now you've got a hat trick on your birthday. I'm shure over in the world knows that in test career. What was it like to face a hat trick in the in the Cauldron of Perth stating with Joe Richardson coming in bowling rockets.
00:22:13
Speaker 2: It was interesting.
00:22:14
Speaker 4: I think, Yeah, it's very rare that I have to bat at eleven in a big batch game, let alone going out to the face of hat trick ball, so I pretty much knew where the ball was going to be. I'm like, well, if i'm bowling this, I'm bowling and fast fall and straight That's what I'm going for. So if you had a bowld to my up around my ribs and head, that was probably in a lot of trouble because I was I was expecting it to be full at the stump, so I wouldn't have been in a position for it. But yeah, thankfully kept it out. Yeah, that's as it's always nervous going out to the face of hat trick ball. You don't want to be a part of it, especially the last one. The last one always seems worse than the first two. Don't really worry too much about it, but the last one you don't want to be that. But yeah, he bolt superbly, he put us under a lot of pressure and yeah, probably you know he was the difference in that game in the first half.
00:23:01
Speaker 2: Anyway, Well, you're.
00:23:03
Speaker 3: Going to have to do it the hard way.
00:23:04
Speaker 1: You've got a winning Hobart and then either winning Perth or Sydney and then win neither Perth or Sydney after that as well.
00:23:10
Speaker 3: But you did go on a great run at.
00:23:12
Speaker 1: The start of this year's tournament, so everyone knows what you're capable of doing. All the very best over the next week and let's see whether the Stars can finally win it.
00:23:20
Speaker 2: Cheers White. Yeah, it should be good fun. It'll make for a good story anyway, if we get the job done.
00:23:24
Speaker 4: It'll be amazing run.
00:23:27
Speaker 2: So yeah, fingers crossed and let's go green.
00:23:31
Speaker 1: Absolutely so the knockout on Wednesday night the Hurricanes and the Stars from Ninja Stadium.
00:23:36
Speaker 3: So that's Peter Settle talking about the stars.
00:23:39
Speaker 1: Next we will head over to the West and Jay Richardson, Australian Test bowler and also one of the stars from the Scorches, will join us on the search.
00:23:50
Speaker 2: Straight up, can they get Richardson? He's on the trip.
00:24:01
Speaker 3: And welcome back to the Surge.
00:24:03
Speaker 1: We have got Ji Richardson with us over in Perth, Gays being flying at the moment. He's played Test cricket on Boxing Day, four wickets for the Scorches on Saturday night to secure top spot and he's with us now. Gi things are going very nicely for you just at the moment.
00:24:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's taking a turn over the last week or so, which is nice. Probably haven't had the performances that I would have liked in the Big Bash coming back in but yeah, I mean it's nice to get one out of the way. It's nice and it's a bit of a relief to get a good performance on the board.
00:24:33
Speaker 3: You can look at it the other way as well.
00:24:35
Speaker 1: There's only what maybe less than two months ago that you were just coming back from serious shoulder injury playing club cricket to play on Boxing Day and now to play in the final series in the BBL.
00:24:46
Speaker 3: It's a lot's happening in a short period of time.
00:24:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, things have happened pretty quickly, and I think it's a good reminder that, you know, when performances haven't necessarily gone my way, Preparations looked very different compared to you know, previous years. Obviously I've had injuries previous years, but I've had a decent run into certain competitions, whereas things happen really really quickly. So it's taken a little bit of time to get back into the swing of things. But now I'm sort of raring to go and feeling confident with your bowling again. So it's been really nice.
00:25:22
Speaker 1: What have you learned about yourself and maybe your shelter, but particularly yourself over the last twelve months.
00:25:28
Speaker 2: I think just you know, trying to have that you know, mental resilience. It's obviously really difficult when you you know, stripped away from something that you love doing so much and you've had a taste of you know, playing higher honors and playing for Australia and then all of that gets ripped away pretty quickly and consistently, and not being able to have a consistent run at things It can be really frustrating, and I think naturally, as human beings, we always catastrophize a little bit, and you know, we always sort of sort of think of the worst case scenario, and that's natural when you have such a long period of rehab, you're never really sure if you're going to get back to where you were. You're never really sure if your shoulder is going to be good or whatever you have surgery on you never nothing's ever guaranteed when you go under the knife. So yeah, I mean just have to keep remembering to be proud of myself of you know, the last twelve months and getting back to playing cricket at a high level. But yeah, there's no doubt it can be frustrating and pretty draining at times.
00:26:36
Speaker 1: You've had issues with your shoulder before, but this time round was it. You never get to a point where you thought you might not have been able to get back because this time it felt maybe a little bit more serious.
00:26:48
Speaker 2: Well, I think my shoulder was always functional from a bowling point of view. I know it was it was obviously not stable, but bowling was never really the issue. It was throwing and diving, you know, and obviously high fiving all jokes aside getting into that position. I don't think it was any more serious as the first time. I think it was. It basically just presented itself as this needs some sort of intervention. We could probably go the route of leaving it and just seeing how we go, knowing that there's probably one hundred percent chance of it coming back out again, and what that looks like in a Test match. You know, if it gets to a point where it comes out again and I can't come back on the field. There's been a few times where it has come out and I have been able to get back on you know, that's pretty detrimental, especially if you're playing over five days, and you'd be pretty detrimental on the other fast ballers as well. So I wouldn't say from an actual biology point of view it was any more serious. It basically just presented itself as something needed to something needed to be done. It wasn't It wasn't in a position to you know, for people to feel confident going into games knowing that you know, there might not be an issue. So basically trying to mitigate some of the risk with this shoulder.
00:28:06
Speaker 1: And what about from a mental point of view just the I guess the mental fatigue to keep having to come back and to go again. I mean, I can't imagine how frustrating that would be and how draining would be to keep putting yourself through that kind of rehab to to get yourself back bowling, like we all know that you can bowl.
00:28:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, the first couple of times were really frustrating because I was sort of flying, I was going really well, felt really good with my body, and then obviously that first incident in the Uaa at Shahjah, just you know, all that got ripped away really quickly. And I was quite naive early on because there was a World Cup coming up as well, so I was like, you know, it'll be fine. We've got eight weeks of the World Cup. I'll be fine, and was very naive in the sense I didn't really understand how serious it was until we were a week before flying out to the World Cup and I could hardly bowl a couple of steps. So, yeah, it is frustrating and it has been a long process. But this time around, I think the difference was that I think, regardless it was the last crack at it, I think, you know, I've said in the media before, I think I would have regretted it more not knowing if surgery would work this time around, I think I would regret not knowing what could have been. I think if we left it and then I finished my career and go cheez. I wonder if I had that surgery. I wonder if any things would have been different. I wonder how it would have pulled up. I wonder if my throne would have got back that sort of thing. So now I've done it, it's a case of getting it to the best possible position we can get it to and whatever is, whatever that looks like, is what it is. We've given it a red hot crack and you know, that's all we can ask for.
00:29:53
Speaker 1: Really, how much confidence did it give you the fact that you got back into that Test team for Boxing day?
00:30:00
Speaker 3: It felt like it all happened really really quickly.
00:30:03
Speaker 1: But to be able to not so much just get back there and play, but have the confidence of the Australian selectors to know that you're still very much part of the current and future plans, just for your own disposition as much as as for your cricket that yep, it's still it's all systems go still yeah.
00:30:21
Speaker 2: I think the biggest one for me was actually, you know, the faith that Cricket Australia has shown in me, and you know, I haven't really had to run at it at all over the last few years and they've really you know, reassured me that they value me as a cricketer, which is really really nice. And we had a plan twelve months ago. We had surgery on January thirteen, twenty twenty.
00:30:44
Speaker 3: Five, yep.
00:30:48
Speaker 2: And the plan was always to get back for the back end of the ashes. That was what we set in place where we're like, we if we can get back there, then we think this is a fantastic result. And for that plan to come to fruition, albeit being completely honest, I think everyone expected me to be a little bit underdone and I probably felt a little bit underdone. But to actually get back there have that plan come to fruition is the biggest one for me and the biggest settler for me, because you know, we spoke about that for a long time, myself in Cricket Australia and all the Triple the SAM staff. We wanted that as the plan and you know, when when plans come off, it's always nice so yeah, that was that was an awesome feeling.
00:31:28
Speaker 1: Now, I've been watching this speak as you've gone through the summer, and the numbers just keep getting that little bit higher and a little bit higher. If you've been noticing it as well, is it something that you're kind of watching as a bit of a barometer as to how the shoulder's going and how your recovery continues.
00:31:43
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, we're slowly starting to creep up to what I expect from myself. I've got high expectations and high standards that I set for myself, and you know, I want to be up above that one forty mark, and to see a few pop up above that one forty is you know, it's a good feeling to know that things are slowly getting there. I mean, there's a long process with the shoulder in the first twelve months where it's all about getting the range back, making sure it's stable, and then the process doesn't actually stop there. You know, we've discussed around the plan and how we want to go about it in the next six to twelve months, and there's a lot of you know, emphasis on how my shoulder can create power quickly. You know, there's a difference between strength and stability and then actually being able to create that power at a rapid rate. So that'll be the focus over the next six months. Is you know, another lot of rehab. I guess you could say all bit a part of competition. You know that the shoulder stuff doesn't stop. It's not like you go through twelve months and then your rehab suddenly stops. There's still some key areas that we can focus on, so that'll be the next part of it, and making sure that I can get my bull speed as good as I can.
00:33:01
Speaker 1: So, Judie, do you have to reteach your body to bowl and to bowl fast? Or were you able to just get straight back and the action was the same as it was before the surgery.
00:33:13
Speaker 2: I don't know that you can get into some funny little habits when you have a bowled for a while, things that creep in that you never really thought about before. So it's more just about refining. It's not like you forget how to bowl, and you know your action is obviously somewhat natural to you, so that that wasn't the difficult thing. It's sort of these little little things that creep in that you just have to refine. So bowling, Yeah, it took a while. It was pretty sore for once we started bowling. It was pretty sore for the first few months at least. And it's not until you actually get back into a competitive environment. You go and play some club games, you go and play you know, center wicket or CA eleven or whatever it was, when you're actually in competition thinking about your execution rather than what your shoulders doing. Is that's kind of when you forget about your body and you just try and your pace naturally creeps up a little bit more and your shoulder sort of naturally lets go a little bit. I think when you're in the nets, either bowling to no one or bowling to batters or whatever it is, in a rehab setting, you're thinking about what your shoulders doing, You're thinking about your pace, you're thinking about this, that and the other, and you're not necessarily thinking about how to be competitive. So I think it's definitely the key is definitely to get into a competitive environment and play games. And that's sort of when your body starts to teach itself again to okay, well I can let go here and I don't have to be so protective.
00:34:41
Speaker 3: I've talked.
00:34:42
Speaker 1: I've spoken two sprinters, and they've often spoken about if you try and run fast, you often run slow. Is it a bit the same from a fast bowling point of view that if you try and bowl fast and try and get that gun back up over one one forty five, which are numbers that are very familiar with you, that sometimes it actually doesn't come out as fast as as it should.
00:35:05
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think so, because you know, the reality is when you're trying so hard, you're you know that everyone speaks about rhythm. Everyone speaks as a fastball, it's rhythm, rhythm, rhythm, which is very similar to what you just said about about the sprinters. It's, you know, making sure that biomechanically everything's right. It's making sure that you know your body's in the right position. You run up, you know, fluid and all of that. I think when you start to try and muscle it down, that's when you start to get you know, you start to change things with your action. You change things when you run up, You change things that you haven't necessarily taught your body to do or you haven't done a lot of So, yeah, things can go backwards, I guess because you're trying to do something that you haven't practiced. You're trying to muscle the ball down. So yeah, I mean that's why we say that rhythm is so because when you feel like you're in good rhythm, then the ball was obviously. I think it's you know you're in good rhythm when you're not trying to bowl quickly and your ball was coming out quickly.
00:36:11
Speaker 1: Absolutely, and one last one on you're bowling that. We think of yourself and Lances the two probably fastest bowlers outside of Mitchell Stark in Australia and it's kind of like, I feel like that's the future of fast bowling here in Australia.
00:36:24
Speaker 3: And you and Lance.
00:36:24
Speaker 1: You could probably put hell Vidler into that conversation as well.
00:36:27
Speaker 3: Up in Queensland. Is do you find that as a pressure.
00:36:31
Speaker 1: Or do you actually love the fact that you're spoken about as being one of the fastest bowlers in the country and that's your point of difference and a way that you do play cricket for your country.
00:36:42
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:36:42
Speaker 2: I think speed for me when I was young was really important. I think now, you know, while it is nice to bowl quickly, I think the reality is with international cricket you need something else. I think you need seem movement. I think you need swing. I think you need something else that can go with the speed, because I think you know that is now so good at just picking up pace using the pace you know, someone like just as an example, someone like Joe Root for example, like with pace on the ball with now the instruction of ramp shots, and you know how good he is at gliding the ball through third man with pace on I think you know you mentioned Starky as well. You know he does have that swing, he does have that scene movement, so he's also got another layer to that pace, which I think is super super important. So that's one area that I sort of that's the barometer for me. I think if I'm swinging the ball, then I'm in a good spot for me. It's not all about pace. Need to be doing something else as well.
00:37:47
Speaker 1: The scorch has had a big win on Saturday night to secure top spot, falling in front of the parochial home crowd. Just the the advantage you think you've got not only in being able to win on Saturday night against the Star, but as we start to look forward, now you've got two guaranteed finals, whether that's a qualifier and a grand final or potentially through the long way home, you've got two finals from here at home.
00:38:11
Speaker 2: I think home advantage is key for us. And also knowing, you know, specifically that the Sixers have to fly from Brizzie today to then play tomorrow in forty to go heat, I think is also another advantage for us. Knowing that we don't have to get on a plane is big because flying from Perth is obviously it's quite a lengthy flight no matter wherever you go. So yeah, that's an advantage for us and our home crowd. We know how loud they are, we know how opinion aid they are out in the field. They like to give it to the opposition and they like to support us, so yeah, it's a massive advantage. I love playing in front of our crowd. I mean, we had forty eight and a half thousand people their last game hoping to get something similar, albeit with the heat. But I mean, yeah, I think it fills you with confident and straight at the top of your mark, knowing that you've got forty to fifty thousand people supporting you. Yeah, it definitely fills you with another level of confidence and.
00:39:07
Speaker 1: It's a different looking bowling attack this year. You've lost a couple of year old mates, particularly Berendorf and also Tie and then some of the youngsters that have come through, not just fast ballers but at spinners as well. Have you enjoyed a different looking attack to be part of this year.
00:39:24
Speaker 2: I think it's great. I think new faces brings new skills. Right. You know, Marley, we know how good he's been on a domestic level for WA We've seen his progression, but I think even his progression in this Big Bash alone, from the start of the year sort of being in and out of the team to now securing his spot and performing really well. I mean, yeah, it's a credit to him. And you know Luke Holdt as well, getting an opportunity with AGAs not being available, you know as well. He loves it. He brings that sort of rookie energy when guys sort of make their debut at a young age, they're sort of little energizer bunnies and they lift the team because all they want to do is be out there. And we've seen it with him out in the field. He's buzzing around out in the field, he's putting his body on the line and he loves the celebration with runout, catch wick it, whatever it may be. So it's good to see these guys. And I think it's a credit to our program as well, and the depth of our squad and the depth of our younger players that we've got in wa to be able to, you know, pull them from you club cricket or domestic cricket or wherever it is, and for them to come and play a role in a really important one of that I think is a credit to our setup.
00:40:36
Speaker 3: That's via power the batting. It's so fun to watch.
00:40:39
Speaker 1: I mean, what Finalen's done through this tournament's been amazing. But then you've got Mitch marsh and then you've got Aaron Hardy. The list goes on, particularly when you've got Lorie Evans coming in at six or seven.
00:40:49
Speaker 3: What's it like to bowl to them in.
00:40:51
Speaker 1: The nets or do you just say no, no, no, no, no, I'm not doing that. I'm staying well away from them. That's too much actually a hazard.
00:41:00
Speaker 2: It's actually the opposite. They're like, nah, may just sit down, you know, you don't need a bowl here, which is good. I can hurt them, so it's more you know for us as well, it's it's difficult to get training training balls in actually because you know, it's it's sort of play fly, play recover. Yeah, so the coaches normally take that role, but I'm sure they're as nervous as we would be with the ball coming back at them twice as quickly. But I think as well, just on Finn the innings that he played the other night, we were under pressure. We know that we lost a few wickets early and one point thirty can be pretty tricky chase at times, well you can make it tricky. And for his development, you know, we saw last year he was, you know, go from ball one no matter what, and we knew that that was the way that he played, and I think he's played. He played a very mature innings the other night, and it was funny all the boys jokes. We sort of get together and debrief and do the team song and things like that, and the boys were stoked the fact that they saw finale and glide a ball to third man and get off strike for one, you know, that was just a credit to him. I know it doesn't sound like much, but we probably wouldn't have seen that from him previously and for him to bat through and almost get to the end, Yeah, he's a credit to him. He's done an amazing job.
00:42:27
Speaker 1: Particularly considering how he started his time at the Scorches last year. A lot of people wouldn't have known how good he was. And then he comes and starts so poorly for the Scorches last year, and you think, who have we got here?
00:42:40
Speaker 3: Him?
00:42:40
Speaker 1: To be able to turn it around the way he has. I think he's a real credit to his character. Do you sit there in the dugout at times and watch some of the shots that he plays and think and as you do that, and then also how would I bowl to someone like that when he's playing like that?
00:42:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, he just creates power out of nothing, doesn't he. You know, his his ability to the spin, to stay on the back foot and hit the ball straight is unbelievable. You know. We obviously know that he's strong and he's got a lot of power, but the fact that he's able to do it on a consistent basis is a credit to him, you know. And it's very different as well. You know, for him to play at optics we've seen on our away trips, you know, where he can target you know, the shortest straight boundaries or whatever it is. But I mean Marvel, we know is long straight and he was hitting balls off the back foot of ninety ninety five meters, which is unbelievable, and then on the flip side of that getting short balls that he's able to pull ninety to ninety five meters over the long boundary at optics. His adaptability is yeah, it's mind boggling, and his power it's crazy. Certainly good to watch, especially I know that we lost eight tosses in a row and we've bad at first, but you know, the freedom that that gives our batting lineup, it's cool to watch.
00:44:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely. It's a good point.
00:44:06
Speaker 1: Actually, the rivalry between you guys and the Sixers, it goes back a long way. You've been the two most successful teams. No one can argue that fact. But some of the battles that you've had, and you've been part of so many of them, what's that rivalry?
00:44:20
Speaker 2: Like, I think it's just nice. We know that they're obviously super successful and they have a very well From the outside, it looks like they have a very similar philosophy to us with their local players and things like that, and you know, they've obviously been very good and we've had a few tussles in the finals over the years. It's always nice to beat them. We always know that they're going to be a force to be reckoned with, and I think with the players that they've had come in in the latter stages of the of the year, obviously creates a new challenge for us. But we know how good we play at home. We know that teams don't necessarily like traveling to Perth to play. I think it's going to be a great battle. I think it's going to be you know, we always love beating them, and I can assure you that they would say the same thing that we're probably on the top of their list of teams to beat. So I think it's just naturally when the two most successful clubs come up against each other. It's almost that, you know, the I guess the what would you say? It's almost like not the rights to say that you're the best team, but it's you know, you always want to get one up on each other.
00:45:33
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if you've heard of this guy, but there's a guy called Steve Smith who plays for the six and SE's pretty good, and he's in really good form at the moment, and then he does feel like he's got a bit of a.
00:45:44
Speaker 3: Point to prove. This could be a good battle, you and him.
00:45:47
Speaker 2: I think so. I think it'll be good. I think, you know, we know. I think he scored I don't know what it was, but he scored a big score against us last year at SCG. But just brings a new challenge. I reckon he's obviously better than in test match trigger, but I think the wicket might be slightly different to what they get in test matches. Yeah, we'll see which team adapts adapt quicker, whether Steve sort of. I don't know. I think it's going to be a great battle. Hopefully we can get him out cheaply. But you know, we know, we know how good he is.
00:46:22
Speaker 1: Is he the hardest to bowl to just because of his idiosyncrasies, Just how different he is, the way he moves around the creese, the way he engineers the ball into into unusual places. That does that make him know that his average is that to speak to themselves, but just the way he is at the crease, not to be distracted with what he's doing and just focus on what you're doing.
00:46:45
Speaker 3: Is does that make it hard?
00:46:47
Speaker 2: Oh? I don't think it's the idiosyncrasies themselves that make it difficult. I think when everything's on display, when I think Steve Smith is displaying everything and doing random things, I think that's when you know he's in the contest. And I think that is what's probably more intimidating than the actual actions themselves. I think you know that he's ready for the fight, he's ready to do everything, and you know that he can hit the ball in strange areas. So yeah, I don't think it's necessarily the idio syncrasies themselves. It's the fact that you know he's in the contest when they're on display.
00:47:28
Speaker 1: And then you and Mitchell Stark we're talking before about rivalries between the teams. Mitchell bowling one forty five at one end and you hopefully bowing one forty five from the same end but in different colors. Is that something that you kind of use as a bit of actual fear.
00:47:43
Speaker 2: Car potentially, But I think the reality is, you know, you have to concentrate on your own game. I think there will be an element on you know, let's say, if they ball first, it'll be interesting to see, you know, getting a couple of little ideas, whether or not you know he's swinging the ball, whether or not he's not swinging the ball, what the pitcher is doing. It's not so much about what he's doing on a personal level that will get me going. It's more about seeing, you know, what we can expect, you know, if they bowl first or be looking at if he's swinging the ball, if the ball is doing anything off the wicket. So I think we know if Stark is up and running, then he's swinging the ball nicely. Like he saw the other night as well, he was swinging the ball and got early wickets. So yeah, it's more about just seeing what happens generally rather than you know what Stark he's doing on a personal level, I guess.
00:48:34
Speaker 1: And just one final one on the scorches and just the success you've had, and I guess the culture it's often spoken about, not just with the scorches but with Western Australian cricket, going back to you know, the Langer led teams to Addam Voja's what what do you think make the scorches so special?
00:48:51
Speaker 2: Joh, I think we just play for each other. I think we're such a tight knit group. We obviously played together. A lot of us play together twelve months of the year, so we're very accustomed to each other's company. We know how each other play, and I think that's the beauty of this team is that we we know the roles of everyone. Everyone's very clear on their role, Everyone's very clear on how they want to go about it. And I think it's that shared accountability piece where you know, I know exactly how at is going to go about things. I know exactly how Mitch is going to go about things, so we can one hundred percent trust that there's no questions being asked. There's no questions around preparation, there's no questions around methods. It's complete trust in each other, which I think holds us in good stead no matter what happens. And you know, if there's no there's no sense of defeat. You know, if we have a you know, we get bold out for one twenty, we're going to We're going to back out our bowlers to give it a red hot crack. And on the flip side, if we you know, poorly with the ball or you know, we're going to back our batters to get it. There's just complete trust in one another.
00:50:06
Speaker 1: And then you've had nearly two hundred thousand fans turned up to watch you play your home games this year. It feels like the fans they almost want to be as much a scorch of player, young kids as they grow up as they do actually wanting to play for Australia. That parochialism, that passion for the state, the passion for the scorches is is really quite palpable.
00:50:26
Speaker 2: It is, it truly is. It's incredible, you know. I mean, the fans that we have, they're so supportive. We certainly know when we're doing poorly, but equally we know when we're doing really well. So I was driving home the other night from the game, and you know, you've got the mattagoat Bridge all lit up in orange. You've got the new Bridge over the other side of the city which was lit up orange. You've got the Whacker lit up orange. Op. This was all orange. And I said to my fiance at the time when we were driving home, I said, this is such an awesome feel of community. You know, you're driving home and you're seeing the whole city lit up in orange to support us and It's just it's an incredible feeling knowing that your state backs you. And yeah, it was. It gave me goosebumps. It was. It was really cool. It was really really cool.
00:51:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's great insight, great insight. Now, I just spoke to Peter Siddle before on the Surgeon. You spoke about having to go out and face you on a on a hat trick bowl the other night, and he knows what it's like to take.
00:51:27
Speaker 3: A hat trick in test cricket.
00:51:28
Speaker 1: He was just waiting for that yorker from you. He just knew that you were going to bowl falling straight. If you had your time again, what have you served up something different? Or you just would have bowled that one and maybe a bit quicker because it wasn't.
00:51:40
Speaker 3: Too far away. It was online.
00:51:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, I look hindsight, it's wonderful. You could have gone or hit the top of off. It's probably the hardest ball to hit, but I think you know, I backed my skills to hit a yorker. Unfortunately it didn't come off a little bit too full. But if I hit the mark, then I know that it's still a different good ball to face, And I think, you know, we speak about confidence and backing your skills, and I wanted to back my skill and bowl Yorker. I think, you know, equally as good as the patrick would have been and the wicket would have been. I still think, you know, dot balls are invaluable in T twenty cricket, So the fact that it's still a dot ball, yeah, still happy, but time again hindsight is wonderful, but I think New York is the player well.
00:52:26
Speaker 1: Joe, thank you so much for spending some time with us on the surge today. Great insights into your recovery. I think there's so many people, just cricket fans around Australia that are so thrilled that you're back in full flight again, bowling like you've always bowled for your country but also for your state and for the scorches. All the best in the final series, and all the best for hopefully what will be a really busy next couple of years playing for your country.
00:52:50
Speaker 3: It's just great to have you back.
00:52:52
Speaker 2: Appreciate it.
00:52:53
Speaker 1: Thank you Joe Richardson joining us on the Surge ahead of what will hopefully be for him a big week. So a special thanks to both Joe Richardson and also Peter Siddle joining us on the surge as we look ahead to the final series. So don't forget Tuesday night, it's the big one over in the West, the Scorches taking on the six is the winner straight through to Sunday Night's Grand Final. Wednesday night in Hobart it is the Hurricanes up against the Stars and we just have to wait to see what happens after that, with a game on Friday before that final on Sunday. Stap today with everything on the BBL and WBBLR.
00:53:32
Speaker 3: That's what you've got to get. You've got to get that.
00:53:33
Speaker 1: You get all the news, all the stats, all the information ahead of what shapes to be truly one of the best final.
00:53:39
Speaker 3: Series we have seen in BBL history. So until next time, we'll catch you on the Surge.
