Star allrounder Aaron Hardie will make his first Sheffield Shield appearance of the summer this week, after being named in Western Australia’s 13-player squad for their clash against Tasmania starting Sunday 20 October at the WACA Ground.

The 25-year-old returns to the WA lineup, after missing the season-opening draw against Queensland last week with a minor quad injury.

The Willetton product comes into the match with good recent form under his belt, after playing three T20Is and five ODIs in Australia’s recent white-ball tour of the UK.

Hardie proved himself as a valuable white-ball player for Australia during the tour, taking multiple wickets on three separate occasions and finishing the ODI series against England with a strike rate of over 130.

A powerful batter and right-arm swing bowler, Hardie has been a crucial piece in WA’s Sheffield Shield success in recent seasons, playing in all three Shield finals.

Left-armer Joel Paris (calf) remains unavailable for selection, with his fitness to be monitored ahead of WA’s third Sheffield Shield match, a return clash against Tasmania starting on 1 November at Blundstone Arena.

WA’s opponents Tasmania comes into the game chasing their first Shield win of the season, following a high-scoring draw against Victoria at CitiPower Centre.

WA Sheffield Shield Squad for Game Two: Sam Whiteman (C), Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis (WK), Matthew Kelly, Mitchell Marsh, Corey Rocchiccioli, Charlie Stobo

MATCH DETAILS:

Sheffield Shield – Game 2  
WA v Tasmania
Sunday 20 October. First ball 10:30AM, AWST.
WACA Ground, Perth
LIVE: Kayo, cricket.com.au, SportFM