One year ago, the Perth Scorchers had a thirst for booze.
Now, their only thirst is for hard work and success.
West Australian cricket was brought to its knees last October when it was revealed the Scorchers had embarked on a late-night drinking session during their failed T20 Champions League campaign in South Africa.
All but three players of the 15-man squad were involved in that infamous night, the affair costing Marcus North the state captaincy and eventually Lachlan Stevens his job as WA coach.
The saga was just the tip of the iceberg, with a review into the team’s culture highlighting a desperate need for change.
That has been implemented by new coach Justin Langer, whose recipe for success is putting hard work into good people.
The fruits of his labour are unlikely to come just yet, with the Scorchers considered rank underdogs to win this year’s T20 Champions League in India.
But Langer is refusing to wave the white flag, telling his young squad to take a ‘no fear’ approach into the lucrative tournament.
A host of injuries and withdrawals means the squad is almost unrecognisable compared to that of a year ago.
Shaun Marsh (hamstring), Mitch Marsh (hamstring) and Pat Cummins (back) are all nursing injuries, while Nathan Coulter-Nile (Mumbai), Alfonso Thomas (Somerset) and Mike Hussey (Chennai) are unavailable.
The Scorchers still have some experience in the form of Simon Katich, Marcus North, Adam Voges, Michael Beer and Brad Hogg.
But the rest of the squad are kids, some of whom are barely known within Australia, let alone on the world stage.
Langer said they had the chance to repair the Scorchers’ battered reputation.
“What happened 12 months ago is irrelevant to me,” Langer said.
“We’ve got a strong foundation here now.
“We’d probably be the biggest underdog in the tournament I reckon.
“We’ve lost five or six of our marquee players. But we’ve got some amazing kids.
“The one professional advantage we’ve got is the close-knit nature of the team, whereas some of the IPL teams just come together every now and then.”
Veteran spinner Hogg said he’d been amazed by the maturity shown by some of his younger teammates.
“They’re just so switched on. They don’t want to have a drink, they just want to sit there and talk about cricket,” Hogg said.
“They’re the best of mates.
“I don’t think I’ve seen anything as close in a complete group as probably the two World Cup teams I went away with.”
The Scorchers begin their campaign on Monday against South African champions Highveld Lions in Ahmedabad.
Scorchers: Ashton Agar, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Burt Cockley, Liam Davis, Brad Hogg, Simon Katich (capt), Joe Mennie, Marcus North, Joel Paris, Tom Triffitt, Ashton Turner, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman.
