Southern Smash: Top quality talent set for biggest tournament in history as teams prepare for T20 showdown

In the wake of the Southern Smash draft on Monday night, talented cricket players from across the State are gearing up for the biggest tournament yet.

There are more than 10 players from England, Sri Lankan legend Tillakaratne Dilshan and a variety of former Big Bash League players in this year’s pool.

A total of 48 players were selected on draft night and Southern Smash organiser Ryan Kinnear said the draft pool is the most talented since the tournament began five years ago.

“The amount of talent we have this year is extremely impressive,” he said.

“We received over 120 nominations which is the most since the competition’s first instalment.

“There are some really good premier cricket and country players who missed out, which shows the depth of the competition.”

The Smash is a T20 event in which players from metropolitan, regional and country areas get to rub shoulders with former State and international stars each December.

Although there is a strong contingent of players coming from Perth and overseas, Kinnear suspects the local talent will thrive in their own backyard.

“I expect a few local players to compete really well with some of the best Perth and country players and it will be a very high standard tournament,” Kinnear said.

“The competition will be fierce and the highlight will be the depth within the teams, whether they’re from here, the country, Perth or England.”

The Inswing Ignition are entering the tournament in pursuit of four straight titles, having beat the Arc Infrastructure Aces by 48 runs in last year’s grand final.