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          Finn Allen set for two-year Perth Scorchers deal

          Finn Allen's fifty flattened Pakistan Getty Images
          • Andrew McGlashan, Deputy editor, ESPNcricinfoAug 17, 2024, 03:00 AM
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              Deputy Editor Andrew arrived at ESPNcricinfo via Manchester and Cape Town, after finding the assistant editor at a weak moment as he watched England's batting collapse in the Newlands Test. Andrew began his cricket writing as a freelance covering Lancashire during 2004 when they were relegated in the County Championship. In fact, they were top of the table when he began reporting on them but things went dramatically downhill. He likes to let people know that he is a supporter of county cricket, a fact his colleagues will testify to and bemoan in equal quantities.

          New Zealand opener Finn Allen will join Perth Scorchers on a two-year deal after turning down a national central contract.

          It was announced earlier this week that Allen had become the latest New Zealand player to opt out of a contract to open up franchise opportunities, and ESPNcricinfo understands the Scorchers move will be confirmed in the coming days.

          Scorchers were one of only three BBL clubs - alongside Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Sixers - who had yet to announce a pre-draft signing under the new mechanism that allows multi-year deals, even as West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has been linked to Sixers.

          Allen had originally been included in the NZC contract list announced last month, and it's understood the Scorchers interest only came recently. It means he won't be available for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka which starts in late December.

          Allen's T20 strike rate of 168.60 is the second highest for any batter with at least 3000 runs in the format, behind only Andre Russell. At the international level, Allen has scored two T20I centuries, while he also made a significant impact against Australia at the 2022 T20 World Cup, when he flayed 42 off 16 balls against Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins to set the tone for New Zealand's huge victory. But Allen had a lean T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA earlier this year, with just 35 runs in four innings.

          He will be the third New Zealand player confirmed for the BBL, after Colin Munro (Brisbane Heat) and Tim Seifert (Melbourne Renegades). Seifert turned down a domestic contract with Northern Districts, while Munro officially retired from international cricket earlier this year after missing the T20 World Cup squad.

          Scorchers struggled to fill the opening role vacated by Cameron Bancroft's move to Sydney Thunder last season. England's Zak Crawley made two half-centuries in six innings, but there were slim pickings for the others used, including an unsuccessful move of promoting Cooper Connolly.

          Signing Allen ahead of the draft means it is uncertain if Scorchers will bring Laurie Evans back after he was outstanding last season, with 292 runs at 58.40 and a strike rate of 189.61, before leaving for the ILT20. It's understood Scorchers did explore the possibility of Evans being the pre-draft signing, but availability was an issue with him having an ongoing deal in the UAE with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.

          Scorchers could still take Evans in the draft - and would have retention rights for him - but he is expected to be limited to around seven matches. The ILT20 has advanced next year due to the Champions Trophy taking place in February. It means a much greater overlap with the BBL, while the SA20 is also taking place at the same time.

          The BBL draft will be held on September 1, and Scorchers have picks 7, 15, 18 and 31.