WA coach Beau Casson backs Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris to bounce back after losing national contracts

New WA coach Beau Casson is backing Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris to quickly bounce back from the disappointment of losing their national contracts. Despite playing his first Test since 2021 on Boxing Day last year, Richardson was the surprise omission from a reduced list of players to have been given deals for the next 12 months released by Cricket Australia last week. Meanwhile, Morris — who was sidelined for the entirety of last summer after opting to undergo spinal surgery in the hope of addressing long-running issues with his back — has also lost a CA contract he had held since 2023. Casson told The West Sport Show both players were disappointed but the State program will wrap their arms around them. “We’re always going to be here to support them and assist them in any way they can,” he said. “Naturally, they’re disappointed. We’re disappointed too, because our aim as (WA Cricket) is to produce Australian cricketers. “While at the moment, it’s a speed bump, it’s a little bit of disappointment they may have, it’s now about how can we support them to get back where they want to be as players. “They’re both very keen to get back out on the park and when they’re fit and they’re playing cricket, we’ve seen what they’ve been able to produce as players. “Lance Morris, with the ability to bowl like lightning, I know the West Australian cricket team are really looking forward to having him back out on the field. “Jhye, he’s come back from serious injuries, he’s played for Australia again in a very quick turnaround. He also looks forward to having some continuity in his training and his game-time. That’ll set him up to have a really good assault on playing for Australia for a long period of time.” The return of Richardson and Morris to the State contract list has come after all-rounder Aaron Hardie lost his own national deal last year. Casson was coy on whether the trio coming back onto WA’s books had created a salary cap squeeze and would limit their ability to recruit players. “We plan for a lot of those scenarios. Sometimes, the odd one might catch you a little bit off guard,” he said. “It’ll put a little bit of pressure on in terms of how big our list will be, but no doubt, everyone should realise whatever we do, it’s going to be for the best interest of WA cricket.”