Big Bash League: Perth Scorchers need to buck Hobart Hurricanes' nine-game home heater to earn New Year’s win

Perth Scorchers will need to buck the trends to start 2026 if they are to earn a victory on the road leg of their Hobart Hurricanes match-up on Thursday. Hobart have won two straight contests against the men in orange, having come up trumps in just one of eight previous clashes before last season. The reigning champions are also on a nine-game heater at their home venue of Ninja Stadium, including Monday’s victory over Melbourne Renegades. To add some more painful Scorchers history, Perth’s last campaign came to a crashing halt over the new year. The five-time title winners managed victories in only one of their five January fixtures last season, with a run of four consecutive losses costing them a finals berth, despite winning their final home game. The Boxing Day clash between the powerhouse teams last week went down to the final over as Perth narrowly failed to defend 150, and the contest is expected to be tight again on New Year’s Day with both teams losing a star to Test duties. Beau Webster and Josh Inglis have been recalled to the Ashes squad ahead of Sunday’s fifth Test against England at the SCG, and both sides have pulled local players back in. Nick Hobson is likely to slot back in for the Scorchers after losing his place for Tuesday’s win over Sydney Thunder at Engie Stadium, while Aaron Hardie is set to move back up to No.4 after finding some touch in Sydney. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have called local replacement player Charlie Wakim into their 14-man squad. The Scorchers could also contemplate handing their own local replacement player, off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli, his first game in Perth colours after spin dominated their meeting at Optus Stadium. Four of Hobart’s scalps came through import spinners Rishad Hossain and Rehan Ahmed, while Scorchers all-rounder Cooper Connolly took a BBL career-best of 3-23 with a superb economy rate of 7.66. Connolly also claimed back-to-back scalps against Sydney before missing out on a hat-trick. “(Cooper’s) a superstar and we’re seeing it in all three facets of the game,” Scorchers captain Ashton Turner, who was named man of the match after striking an unbeaten 99, said after the victory at Engie Stadium. “He’s versatile. He can bowl the first over, he can bowl the last over, he bowls through the middle, he can open the batting, he can bat in the middle order, we’ve seen him bat nine for Australia. “You know, he’s a smart kid, and he thinks about the game. He’s got so much leadership potential. He works hard, he’s a great kid, and they’re the kind of guys who are pretty quickly earmarked to be Australian representatives for a long period of time. “And I see no reason why he won’t be a three-format player for Australia for a big part of the next decade.” Young fast bowler Bryce Jackson could also play after returning to Perth’s 14-man squad. The Scorchers were caught in opener Mitch Owen’s whirlwind campaign in the previous meeting between the two sides in Hobart, with the all-rounder belting his maiden Big Bash ton from a brutal 64 deliveries. The Hurricanes earned a crushing win in that match, but Owen’s current campaign has been poor, with only 56 runs at an average barely above 11.