The Ashes: WA speedster Jhye Richardson to miss Perth Scorchers' Big Bash opener after joining Test squad

Jhye Richardson will be fit in time to play a part in the end of the Ashes series, almost a full year after electing to have shoulder surgery. Richardson will join Australia’s Test squad when it gathers in Adelaide across the weekend to continue his build towards an international return, but it means he will miss Perth Scorchers’ Big Bash League season-opener on Sunday. The whippy quick was sent for surgery in January after consulting with captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald, who urged him to do everything he could to be right for the Ashes. That could now become a reality, with the 28-year-old “absolutely” fit enough for Tests in Melbourne and Sydney if called on. “The guys who have been playing have been performing at the moment and they’ve been doing it really, really well and we can see that with the results,” Richardson told The West Australian. “I’m not counting on getting an opportunity, I think it’s more just being ready as a ‘just in case’. “I’ve bowled quite a lot in the build-up to getting back to playing red-ball cricket, I’m definitely ready to go from a bowling perspective and the shoulder is feeling really good.” Richardson says his trip to Adelaide is focused on making sure he is recovering well from bowling sessions and able to keep backing it up. “The plan in Adelaide is to get a few more overs under the belt. I think it’s mainly to understand how well I can back up bowling a lot of overs. Having bowled 60-odd overs in the last month or so, that’s probably more than what I’ve done in the past three or four years,” he said. “So we’re just making sure I can keep getting up for bowling overs, we know how difficult it is and how taxing Test cricket can be. “Obviously the goal getting this surgery was to get back to playing Test cricket so I think it’s the last little stage of being able to back up and build a little bit of resilience going into the rest of the summer.” The West Australian understands Richardson will then join Scorchers teammates in Queensland for a clash with Brisbane Heat on December 19, two days after the start of the Adelaide Test. The door has opened up for his return to the Australian team, with star veteran Josh Hazlewood ruled out for the series with hamstring and Achilles issues on Tuesday. Perth have already lost paceman Lance Morris for the entire BBL season with a back injury, while the club’s two greatest wicket-takers, Andrew Tye and Jason Behrendorff, have both moved to Melbourne Renegades. It could open the door for a Scorchers debut for either Brody Couch or Bryce Jackson.