Perth Scorchers sign Stephen Eskinazi for Big Bash

Scorchers have also added Adam Lyth for the first half of the tournament as a replacement for Phil Salt

Perth Scorchers have added two pillars of English domestic T20 cricket – Stephen Eskinazi and Adam Lyth – to their squad for the upcoming Big Bash.

Scorchers have been hit by a series of blows in recent weeks, with Mitchell Marsh and Phil Salt ruled out of the tournament through injury, while Laurie Evans – player of the match in last year's final – has failed a drugs test.

Kurtis Patterson and Colin Munro, Perth's highest run-scorers in their victorious campaign 12 months ago, have both moved on – Patterson to Sydney Thunder, Munro to Brisbane Heat.

Lyth, whose 161 against Northamptonshire remains the highest score in T20 Blast history, is set to be available for the first half of Scorchers' campaign.

Eskinazi, who made his England Lions debut in July, is expected to be around for the entire competition. He came through the Western Australia pathway system before relocating to England and joining Middlesex in 2013. He has since become one of the leading white-ball batters in the domestic game, even if he was an unexpected absence from The Hundred in 2022.

^{Adam Lyth will be available for the first half of the tournament (George Wood/Getty Images)}

Instead, he dominated in the Royal London Cup, breaking a raft of List A records along the way. In T20 cricket, he captains Middlesex and has been among the most prolific batters in the Blast over the last five years.

"Adam has shown his class for many years, offering our group a lot of experience," said Kade Harvey, Scorchers' general manager. "He times the ball well and scores quickly at the top of the order, and is also a left-hander which adds balance to the batting line-up.

"Stephen has a strong record for Middlesex, can play a few different roles and also scores quickly. He's used to WA conditions as a Claremont-Nedlands regular, so he'll be a valuable asset throughout the whole tournament."

The Cricketer understands that former Gloucestershire batter Ian Cockbain, who starred for Adelaide Strikers last year, was also considered.

Scorchers have also added left-arm wrist-spinner Hamish McKenzie to their squad.

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