Big Bash League: New Zealand international Finn Allen's giant leap of faith to land at Perth Scorchers

Finn Allen’s journey to become Perth Scorchers’ new opener included a giant leap of faith.

The New Zealand blaster was one of a string of Black Caps stars to knock back a national contract in favour of hitting the global short-form circuit.

Now he is locked in at Perth for the next two seasons and will play every match of the club’s Big Bash League campaign this season.

The 25-year-old landed in the west on Sunday night and is the third of Perth’s internationals, after Keaton Jennings and Matthew Hurst to arrive ahead of this weekend’s season opener against Melbourne Stars.

“For me it was just too good of an opportunity to turn down and to progress my career and where I want to get to,” Allen said.

“You know you are guaranteed a spot and having the two years is great for me and great for Perth — well, hopefully it goes well for Perth — it’s cool to be a part of a franchise and knowing that you’re there for a couple of years and have an impact over that period of time.

“I still want to play as much as I can for New Zealand, it is just through this period being unavailable. It is definitely still my aspiration for the future, for sure.

“I always watched Big Bash, it is a big thing over in New Zealand. It is an incredible comp, so to be a part of it is pretty special.”

Allen briefly headed home to Auckland after playing in the Abu Dhabi T10 competition. It is a competition where facing any more than 10 balls is a rarity.

Like a golfer, he says staying in form means “grooving” his swing outside of gamedays.

“It is huge for me, grooving my swing and a feel sort of thing,” Allen said.

“If my swing is smooth and good then generally I feel like I am in a good place and the execution is just on the day.

“That was a big thing for me and in my training as well was just getting a good feel for my swing.”

Allen had never been to Perth before this week, but starred for New Zealand in a T20 World Cup in Australia. He joked he was “second guessing” his decision after watching the chaos unfold in last month’s The West Test, where runs were hard to come by.

There is a budding love affair between Allen and new Scorchers teammate Josh Inglis, who he opened the batting with for San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket.

There is a chance they open together again, if Inglis is released to play on Sunday night, but Allen has also shared the role with fellow import Keaton Jennings in a stint with Lancashire.

“He’s a great guy and we got along really well and he was a huge part of my interest in coming to Perth and the first person I spoke to,” he said of Inglis.

The Scorchers are still sweating on the fitness of a handful of players ahead of Sunday’s Optus Stadium clash with the Stars.

The West Australian understands Ashton Agar has returned to bowling in the nets as he races to recover from an AC joint strain in his shoulder.

The club is bullish about the prospect of emerging all-rounder Cooper Connolly being fit to play after breaking his finger in a one-day international a month ago, while captain Ashton Turner is still in the mix despite a rib injury.

Aaron Hardie has been dealing with a quad issue and could play as a specialist batter if he is cleared.

Matt Kelly has played just one Sheffield Shield match this summer with an eye to recovering from a quad issue of his own for the start of the season, while paceman Jhye Richardson sat out this week’s four-day clash with New South Wales.

WA players will return home from the shield clash on Tuesday and enter what is effectively a mini Scorchers training camp.

Meanwhile, West Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is set to take over the Stars’ captaincy reins from Glenn Maxwell, who is also racing the clock to be fit.