'Got caught up in conditions': Allen learns from tough BBL start

Considering he holds the highest T20 strike-rate of anyone to face 1000 balls, you wouldn't begrudge Finn Allen for puffing his chest out.

But a modest Allen, who's striking at 163.27 from 52 T20Is to also be No.1 all-time for New Zealand, does not believe he can hit a ball bigger and harder than Mitchell Marsh - his new Perth Scorchers opening partner.

"I'm sure he's probably got me covered. He's a big unit, so he can hit a pretty big ball," chuckled Allen in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. "Hopefully we can score a lot of runs together. Mitch is a special player, and someone that's been successful for a long period of time all around the world.

"Being able to bat with him will be a lot of fun and also provide some learnings for me."

Marsh and Allen are poised to become the most formidable one-two punch in this season's BBL in what is hoped to spark Scorchers up the ladder after missing the finals last season for just the third time.

Both players will be available for the entire season - barring an unexpected Ashes call-up for Marsh - with Allen to miss the start of New Zealand's five-match T20I series in India next month if Scorchers qualify for the finals.

Scorchers, the competition's most successful team, have struggled to fire at the top of the order in recent seasons. But there is much excitement in Perth, where BBL is passionately followed given the devout parochialism of Western Australians, with fans bracing for plenty of fireworks and huge totals.

Marsh's return - having played just one BBL game in the last three seasons due to international commitments and injuries - is hoped to unlock what has been an inconsistent batting line-up.

Marsh, who has opened just once in his BBL career, has urged Scorchers to bat ultra-aggressively through the innings, a blueprint that has served Australia's T20 team well since he took the captaincy reins.

While he aims to match his partner blow for blow at the crease, Allen will use the experience to pick Marsh's brain on how to effectively straddle international and T20 franchise cricket.

Allen, 26, has a casual national contract in order to have some flexibility between playing for New Zealand, remaining within the high-performance system, and taking up franchise opportunities overseas.

"I'm definitely looking forward to being around him, especially to learn about the mental side of the game," he said. "Something that he's talked about is his routine and mental preparation, which is vital with games coming thick and fast and in all sorts of conditions.

"I think it's pretty cool to hear that he's got a set mental routine. Being able to have that time away from the game then come back refreshed is something that we both value."

Marsh's presence should help alleviate the pressure on Allen, who 12 months ago made his BBL debut amid much fanfare. He had a 30,000-crowd at Perth Stadium in the palm of his hands after smashing a first-ball six in the opener against Melbourne Stars before being bowled by New Zealand team-mate Adam Milne on the next delivery.

The very brief innings encapsulated a rollercoaster first BBL season. Allen struck at 184.69 - the third-highest behind Mitch Owen and Glenn Maxwell (minimum 50 balls faced) - from 10 innings, but 118 of his 181 runs came via two half-centuries.

He started the season with just 10 runs from four innings as he faced the axe before slamming 50 off 23 balls against Adelaide Strikers on New Year's Eve.

Allen particularly struggled at Perth Stadium, unable to come to grips with the bouncier surface. Other than a blistering 68 off 31 balls against Sydney Thunder, Allen did not get past the third over in the other four games on the ground.

"I probably got too caught up in the conditions, the bounce and sideways movement," Allen said. "Something that I worked on during last season was being a little bit more side on to get more control of my swing and to keep my head as still and level as possible.

"I think I probably didn't have enough time to feel comfortable in that set-up last year, but I'll be more comfortable this time around. If you can score runs at Optus then you can probably score runs anywhere."

Allen will be making his long-awaited return to competitive cricket on Sunday in the season-opener against Sydney Sixers after being sidelined with a foot stress fracture sustained in MLC in early July.

"It's the longest time I've been out, so it's definitely challenging, especially mentally," said Allen, who last played international cricket in March. "But having some time at home was really nice and a chance to get my personal life in order.

"Cricket felt like a bit more of a hobby than a job, which was great. I feel pretty mentally fresh now."

Before his injury, Allen had started the MLC spectacularly by smashing 151 off just 51 balls - highlighted by a T20 record of 19 sixes - in San Francisco Unicorns' victory over Washington Freedom at the Oakland Coliseum.

"Shane Watson [then Unicorns coach] had a mantra of trying to bat for 40 balls," Allen said. "Even when I was feeling good, I just kept coming back to that - stick in for 40 balls and see where we're at. I just wanted to keep batting for as long as I could because being in that zone doesn't come around too often."

If Allen stays at the crease against Sixers for at least 40 balls - a landmark he was unable to achieve last season - then you can probably pencil Scorchers in for an opening win.

"I had a lot of time to reflect on the sidelines. I've returned to Perth better prepared. I'm raring to go," he said. "There's a great vibe around the group. Everyone is aware of how last season went, but this is a resilient group.

"We're looking forward to getting back on the park and seeing what we can do as a team."