BBL 09: Brisbane Heat sign AB de Villiers in a major coup for the league

In one of the biggest signings in the Big Bash League history, Brisbane Heat have snapped up the services of South African legend AB de Villiers. The South African was initially hesitant about participating in the Australian T20 league, but the lure of playing at the Gabba proved to be too lucrative to turn down. He will effectively replace Brendon McCullum in the Brisbane-based franchise’s set-up.

De Villiers will only be a part of the second half of the tournament and is expected to make his debut in the game against the Adelaide Strikers on January 14. On his u-turn to play in the tournament, de Villiers said as quoted by cricket.com.au:

“You go through moments after retirement when you’re really keen to play, then you just want to be at home. It’s really difficult to balance that out. Time spent at home and time away, so I’m very selective of where I play at the moment, and the body is getting a bit older so I can’t play too much. I like to be at home over the Christmas and New year period, but I couldn’t say no to coming to Brisbane and joining in on the fun.”

Boost to the attacking philosophy of the franchise

The Brisbane Heat have always had the philosophy of playing an aggressive brand of cricket. They tend to go all guns blazing with the bat with the likes of Chris Lynn and previously Brendon McCullum who recently retired from the game. The addition of de Villiers will undoubtedly give a boost to this approach.

On his part, de Villiers was also full of praises for the Heat and the standards of the tournament:

“It’s one of the best tournaments around and I’ve been following it for a while now. From what I’ve heard from other players who have played there, it’s just all positives. The standard of cricket is good, and they get big crowds. I must also say the Brisbane Heat have always stood out to me. They play the kind of cricket that I want to play – it’s quite aggressive and they go after the attack. And the Gabba is a beautiful cricket ground. It’s got a great wicket and games are always of a high quality.”

With the signing of de Villiers, Brisbane Heat have further strengthened their overseas roster. They had previously announced the signings of Afghani spin twins Mujeeb ur Rahman and Zahir Khan.

The 9th edition of the tournament will begin in Brisbane on December 17th and conclude on February 8th.