BBL Draft: Inside the master plan that brought Laurie Evans ‘home’ to Perth Scorchers for next season

English middle-order blaster Laurie Evans has taken a pay cut worth at least $160,000 as part of a Perth Scorchers masterplan months in the making. The West Australian can reveal the ploy to bring the fan favourite and title-winner back to Optus Stadium began in March, when Evans’ name was first raised in their draft plans and was engineered by list boss Kade Harvey and coach Adam Voges. It also involved a crafty pick swap with Sydney Thunder that placed them at the top of the silver round. Evans had nominated as a silver player, despite being picked in the platinum round last season. The veteran international was pinched by Melbourne Renegades in a draft shock 12 months ago and spent last season at the club. Evans was always keen to return to Perth, where he has close relationships with staff and players, including captain Ashton Turner, and has previously brought his family. Scorchers bosses had been in talks with Evans before the draft. Bringing the band back together, the Scorchers then landed left-arm English quick David Payne in the final round, three years after he played six matches as a replacement on their list during a title-winning season. They added Finn Allen to their list for the second year of his contract with their first selection, then passed on their second. Evans landed a platinum deal with the Renegades last season because he was taken with pick three. His seven games for the club would have meant he pocketed around $360,000. The silver salary band is worth $200,000. The 37-year-old was the player of the final when the Scorchers won the 2021-22 title, then missed a season while serving a drug ban that was later lifted. He returned to the club as a part of the team for the 2023-24 season, but left before the finals to fulfill a contract in the United Arab Emirates’ International League T20. The Big Bash’s draft moved from September to June to make sure they got in on players’ contracts before other leagues. Evans’ 10-game stint in his last season in Perth included a score of 85 off just 25 balls against Adelaide Strikers. He scored just 102 runs across his seven games at the Renegades last season, declaring before a clash with the Scorchers: “It is no secret, I obviously loved playing here”. The Englishman will slot into a power-packed Scorchers batting unit that already includes Mitch Marsh, New Zealand international Finn Allen and white-ball guns Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie and Ashton Turner. But fans adore him and he holds significant commercial value to the Scorchers as one of the league’s most marketable players, while club insiders rave about their dealings with him. “He reflects our values, we count him as a local and he is such a legend of a bloke,” Scorchers general manager Jess Keily told The West. The Scorchers traded late picks with Sydney Thunder days out from the draft to give themselves the first selection in the silver round, which put them at the front of the queue. The Scorchers gave up pick 12 to slide back to pick 17. Players can be drafted before the band they nominate for, which meant the Scorchers did have a nervous wait. Instead of retaining Evans, the Renegades took Pakistani wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan and USA all-rounder Hassan Khan. “Doing the trade swap was part of the longer plan to be able to pick him up at the top of silver,” Keily said. Both signings reflect the Scorchers’ long-term strategy to place a high price on the consistency and availability of their list. Evans is available for every single match next season, while Payne has nominated for between four and six matches and then the finals, but he can be covered by fellow returning left-armer Joel Paris. “They are kind of ‘local internationals’. They are championship players, they are both absolute legends, they adhere to our values,” Keily said. “They are great on and off the field. We are really happy.” Thunder general manager Trent Copeland said the Thunder had traded up to make sure they got one of the top all-rounders. They took Pakistan gun Shadab Khan at pick 12. “I’m not thrilled that they were able to get Laurie Evans on the back of it, but we thought that there was only very few top-class all-rounders in the draft and I considered that they’d be gone after pick 14,” Copeland said. “The logic there was that it made sense for both teams to have a dip.” It is now likely the Scorchers will use their final remaining domestic list spot on a spinner. Reigning Laurie Sawle medallist Corey Rocchiccioli, who has previously played for both Melbourne franchises, will become a frontrunner for that role, while Willetton spinner Luke Holt could also be considered.