AB de Villiers signs for Brisbane Heat:
Former South Africa cricket team’s captain, AB de Villiers announced that he will be playing for Brisbane Heat in the upcoming season of Big Bash League (BBL).
Brisbane Heat signed one of the best players of cricket of all time for their team in the Big Bash League (BBL). AB de Villiers will be playing for Brisbane Heat in the upcoming second half of the Big Bash League (BBL) starting from January 2020, with finals also included in his contract.
De Villiers had earlier teased the idea of signing for a BBL franchise earlier this year but then he backed off. Later on, He admitted that the lure of playing for Brisbane Heat at Gabba was too good to pass up for him.
De Villiers said about himself that you go through moments after retirement when you are looking to play, then you just want to be at home, and it is difficult to balance that out. De Villiers said that he is very selective about where he plays at the moment because of his age.
He said that he likes to be at home over the Christmas and New Year period, but he could not say no to coming to Brisbane and joining in on the fun. AB de Villiers praised the Big Bash League (BBL) by saying that it is one of the best tournaments around and he has been following it for a while, and also from what he has heard from the other players who have played there, it is just all positives, the standard of cricket is good, and they also have big crowds.
De Villiers revealed the news on twitter on the 1st of October, 2019.
Very pleased to have signed for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash. Great team, great city @HeatBBL @BBL pic.twitter.com/DDQOxlS0tZ
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) September 30, 2019
Brisbane Heat’s head coach Darren Lehmann played an important role in convincing AB de Villiers to put the decision on paper.
De Villiers revealed that he had been in close contact with Brisbane Heat’s coach Darren Lehmann, and said that Darren is a great guy and he is looking forward to getting to know each other well over the tournament.
AB de Villiers also said that he always had a lot of respect for the way Darren Lehmann played his game and the way he handled everything when he was with the Australia team. De Villiers expressed that he is sure he can learn something from Darren with his batting.
Brisbane Heat’s coach Darren Lehmann said in an official statement that the world-class players do not just come along every day and to have a player of AB de Villiers’ stature and skill in the Big Bash League (BBL) is a fantastic outcome for everyone. Darren Lehmann further praised de Villiers by saying that he is a 360-degree player with great skills, outstanding temperament, and an insightful leader.
De Villiers said that the Heat has always stood out to him, they play the type of aggressive cricket that he wants to be associated with, going after the attack. De Villiers expressed his love for the place by saying that Brisbane is a lovely city, and he had been there a few times before traveling with the South Africa team, he loves the place and the weather. He also talked about the Gabba being a beautiful cricket field, with a great wicket and games of high quality.
The 35-year-old AB de Villiers has had an average of 50plus with the bat in 114 tests and 228 ODIs. He also has played 78 T20Is for South Africa before announcing his retirement from the international cricket on May 23, 2018.
AB de Villiers will play six games for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League and he will also be available in the finals if the team qualifies for it.
