Big Bash League: Perth Scorchers confident Josh Inglis will stay with the club despite contract risk

Perth Scorchers star Josh Inglis will remain out-of-contract with the club when the player movement window begins on Wednesday, but the newly-crowned champions are confident he will stay in orange. The Scorchers had signed nine of a possible 10 domestic players when the signing deadline slammed shut on Tuesday night. An eight-day player movement period begins on Wednesday, where off-contract players effectively become free agents and are not allowed to pen deals with their own clubs. Inglis leads a list of seven Australian Scorchers who are yet to renew their deals. His status will prick the ears of other clubs and he will almost certainly attract rival interest. With all three of their international players now out-of-contract, New Zealand import Finn Allen — fresh off the greatest batting season by a Scorchers player ever — also looms as a signing priority and he is keen to return. The wicketkeeper’s place on the fringes of the Australian Test team have thrown a spanner in the works, with players on the tour of India next January to be available for little-to-none of next summer’s Big Bash League. It is understood the Scorchers are waiting on more clarity around contracting rules, particularly around centrally-contracted players. Clubs have been entitled to a salary cap refund if players are ruled out by national team commitment or orders, but those could change with a new memorandum of understanding on the cusp of being signed between the governing body and its players. Inglis is now the highest-profile Australian player available to other clubs, alongside Adam Zampa, after Glenn Maxwell knocked back a lucrative offer from Sydney Thunder to sign a two-year deal with Melbourne Stars on the eve of the deadline. The 30-year-old leaves Perth on Tuesday night to link up with Australia’s Twenty20 team in Lahore. Scorchers cricket boss Kade Harvey told The West Australian the club wanted more time to work through those factors before agreeing to a deal with Inglis. “For Josh, it’s a challenging one because he’s sort of on the fringes on the Australian team — particularly the Test squad — he doesn’t know where he’s going to be,” he said. “Even when he’s not in the team he’s travelling with the group and his availability is a bit compromised. “We still believe he is still a strong contender to be on the India tour. “For Ingo and us, we have got a lot of trust and a great relationship with Josh. We just think there is probably some more information to work through with the contracting and even with his availability, we probably just wanted a bit more time to keep working through that. “We’re really confident with where Josh is in our program and where he sits and at the right time we will work through a deal.” The West further understands the embargo on signing local players after the movement period could be extended because of the soon-to-be-signed MOU and looming privatisation, adding more uncertainty to contracts. Specialist finisher Nick Hobson, who played seven matches this season but missed the finals, and back-up opener Sam Fanning, who featured just once, will attract rival interest. Paceman Brody Couch is the only other player from the team that beat Sydney Sixers on Sunday out-of-contract after signing an eleventh-hour one-year deal, while injured quick Matt Kelly, back-up ‘keeper Joel Curtis and uncapped bowler Bryce Jackson are also yet to be signed. Harvey flagged the Scorchers have interest in using the new designated hitter role to get a gloveman on the field in Inglis’ absence, which strengthens the case for Curtis — WA’s Sheffield Shield regular — to earn another contract. Jackson snubbed an offer from Brisbane Heat to remain in Perth before last season and while his white-ball skills are highly-rated, he is yet to debut. “We’ve got a lot of players from West Australian cricket that are playing in other teams as well, so it’s not just about our role in developing Scorchers, we feel like we’re providing really good depth around the country for all the BBL teams,” Harvey said. “It’s just the reality of a successful team, particularly this group where the batting order is particularly strong. “(Hobson and Fanning) are both good players, they both contributed well to the team and once we’ve got clarity on the rules and where they sit, we’ll have those discussions. “Particularly with where the rules are now I think we just need to let the dust settle on the season and then we can keep those conversations going.”