Laurie Evans: Perth Scorchers star reveals how Big Bash League imports spend Christmas Day before big clash

Well, last week’s clash with Brisbane Heat was just crazy. There was some incredible batting from both sides and bowling attacks that just battled to rein it all in. It was a brilliant atmosphere and a great spectacle for the good crowd in at the Gabba, but it was a frustrating loss for us. With that said, it’s always good to get a test against another strong side in a close game early in the season. There’s been a real trend at the moment in team’s winning the toss and bowling first, so that they can be chasing a score later on. It helps in night games that the dew sets in and the ball comes onto the bat a little bit better, but it’s also easier knowing exactly what needs to be done to chase down a score, rather than the slight unknown that comes with batting first. One of the big reasons is you know when to use the power surge. It felt like there was a bit of inevitability with the way Matt Renshaw was batting last Friday and I had that sinking feeling in my stomach after about six overs. Then our bowlers actually wrestled back a bit of momentum, but they just went bang with the surge. We had a day off once we got back from Brisbane and then got stuck into training ahead of our Boxing Day clash with Hobart Hurricanes at Optus Stadium. Boxing Day has been a big event for the club for a long time now so we’re getting used to handling what becomes a bit of a different week. Instead of training the day before the game we had a really big hit-out and did some skills work on Tuesday, then the lighter session we’d normally do the day before a game was shifted to Christmas Eve so we could spend Christmas with our family. Our family has developed some nice routines after a few Christmas’ in Perth. On Wednesday night we spent some time at Ashton Turner’s place with his family and on Christmas morning we ducked down to the beach nice and early (before half of the city got there!) and then found a coffee. My wife Verity’s family are with us this year so we spent time with them and tried to dodge the heat. While the preparation is a bit different, we’re all adults - well most of us are - and we know what we need to do to be ready to go for the game while also enjoying the day with our family and friends. The coaches and staff completely trust us to get that right. The local players are all so good at getting around the imports like myself and Finn Allen at Christmas time. One year I spent the day with Matt Kelly and his family and there were plenty of offers this time around too. That’s what makes the club so great. We’ve got another test against the reigning champs tonight, but we can’t wait to play in front of you all again. Merry Christmas, Scorchers fans!