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Stars determine paceman’s future

Jackson Lavell-LeeBusselton Dunsborough Times
Lance Morris has had a break out season for the Melbourne Stars including breaking Sean Marshes bat against the Melbourne Renegades Picture by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
Camera IconLance Morris has had a break out season for the Melbourne Stars including breaking Sean Marshes bat against the Melbourne Renegades Picture by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images Credit: Getty Images

Dunsborough Cricket Club product Lance Morris is hoping his Melbourne Stars can rectify recent form and win the Big Bash League 09.

After debuting earlier this season, Morris took his first domestic league wicket against the Sydney Sixers, the team the Stars will have to defeat at the SCG tomorrow to take home the trophy.

After finishing on top of the ladder, the Stars lost to the Sixers in last Friday night’s qualifier, their fourth loss in a row.

Morris said although teammates Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell had the star power to win any game off their own bats, the Stars were looking for a more complete performance to win the title.

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“We’ve made the job a bit hard for ourselves. It’s been a blessing and a curse having a couple key players who were turning up week in week out but they’re human, they’re going to miss out sometimes and we were relying on them a bit too much,” he said.

“It’s going to take a whole squad effort to get us over the line and we have been tested a little bit.”

He said the experience of training and playing alongside star bowlers Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile had been instrumental in developing his versatility

“We’ve got a few WA guys over here now with Coulter-Nile, who is a mentor to me, and Hilton Cartwright, it’s been really good having those guys around,” he said.

“The biggest takeaway I got from this season is I played games and didn’t really get the results I wanted but I know now that I’m up to that standard and can compete against the best in the country.”

The next test for Morris is to develop the variation bowling to go with his unquestionable pace.

During BBL09, Stars bowling coach Clint McKay has worked with Morris to develop different slower balls.

Morris plans to return to WA on Monday with one solitary goal: to play for WA.

“Coming into the back end of the year, there will be injuries here or there, so doors open and if I can stay fit, hopefully I can get a crack with the Duke ball,” he said.

“Naturally, I bowl outswing but it’s trying to get that consistency — if you can get them swinging at 140km/h, it’s pretty hard to play.”

Morris will return to WA to play for Scarborough Cricket Club in Perth’s first-grade competition to plead his case for selection in the Western Warriors.

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