(Cricket News) The defending champion Perth Scorchers have added Marcus Harris, who was not on a BBL contract, to their roster for the final stages of the BBL. The Scorchers lost Zak Crawley to England Test duty and will also be without Laurie Evans for the finals due to an ILT20 deal.

Although Stephen Eskinazi was able to return to the lineup against Brisbane Heat, the Scorchers have increased their options by adding Harris, who was not on a BBL deal, to replace the injured Jhye Richardson.

“We saw the need to add to our batting options with Laurie Evans and Zak Crawley unavailable for finals, and Marcus fits the bill nicely,” Perth Scorchers general manager Kade Harvey said. “He has plenty of domestic and international experience playing on a variety of surfaces, and he knows WA well having started his career in Perth.”

Harris’s only other BBL experience was with the Melbourne Renegades last season. He also played 14 matches for the Scorchers between 2014 and 2016.”

After defeating Brisbane Heat on Saturday, the Scorchers advanced to the finals. However, they must win a crucial match against Sydney Sixers on Tuesday in order to advance to the qualifier, which is also against the Heat.

If they win, they will have a second opportunity to advance to the decider on January 24, when they hope to become the first team to win three BBL titles in a row. Harris can play in the finals even if he does not play against the Sixers.

The selectors chose Matt Renshaw as the backup hitter in the squad to play the West Indies last week, leaving Harris out of the running for a Test comeback. They had previously decided to recall Cameron Green at No. 4 and promote Steven Smith to the opening position.

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