Alfonso, Marsh out of Perth squad

The Perth Scorchers have made two changes in their Champions League squad. Alfonso Thomas, the Somerset fast bowler, will not be available for the tournament as Somerset have chosen to retain him for the ongoing county season. Perth have named South Australia fast bowler, Joe Mennie, as his immediate replacement.

Shaun Marsh, the Australia batsman, who recently pulled up with a hamstring injury during the fourth ODI against England, has also been ruled out of the Champions League, with Marcus North being named his replacement.

"It is obviously disappointing not to have Alfonso available," Ben Oliver, the general manager of cricket operations for Perth Scorchers, said. "However, it is not unexpected and is part of the landscape of Twenty20 cricket.

"In saying this, it is a great opportunity for Joe, who is a talented young bowler who performed well for us in last year's CLT20 tournament. Marcus is a proven performer at international level and we welcome his experience back into the side.

"He was unlucky to miss initial selection in the squad, but has returned from the UK in good form and we look forward to him contributing to what we hope will be a successful Champions League campaign."

Perth have been in Darwin the last week, acclimatising to conditions which they perceive as similar to what they expect in India. The squad competed in a three-game T20 series against NT Strike, which they won 2-1.

They are expected to fly out of Perth on Tuesday morning, with their first game against Highveld Lions on September 23 in Ahmedabad.

Perth Scorchers: Simon Katich (capt), Ashton Agar, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Burt Cockley, Liam Davis, Brad Hogg, Joe Mennie, Marcus North, Joel Paris, Tom Triffitt, Ashton Turner, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman.