Heat secure Duckett as third international

The Brisbane Heat have secured highly-rated Englishman Ben Duckett to add extra fire to their already potent top-order batting for BBL|11.

Duckett will present a left-handed option in Brisbane's top three, and brings leadership nous and title-winning experience to a Heat side seeking to improve on last summer's third-placed finish.

A 26-year-old batter, Duckett captained the Welsh Fire in this year's Hundred tournament, where he played alongside the Heat's fellow England import Tom Banton.

Brisbane's new recruit was the Hundred's second highest run scorer with 232 runs in eight games, striking at 137.27.

He was also in fine form with Nottinghamshire in this year's T20 Blast, putting up 383 runs at 158.26 in 12 innings, and passed fifty five times across the formats during the northern summer.

He was part of the Notts side that won the T20 Blast in 2020, hitting a match-winning fifty in the final, killing the run chase with back-to-back boundaries and nearly three overs to spare.

That was an innings of immense personal importance to Duckett after he bore the blame for seizing up in a semi-final the previous year and failing to lead his team home from an eminently winnable position.

That growth and development helped land him the captaincy role in the Hundred, where he was noted for his assured play against spin with an array of deft sweep and reverse-sweep shots.

“Ben fits the bill for the type of player we were looking to inject into the Heat squad this season and we’re excited to welcome him to Brisbane," Heat head coach Wade Seccombe said in a statement.

"He brings something a little different to what we have had in the squad, being a left-hander who also bats in the top order.

“He has played a lot of first class, List A cricket and T20 in England despite being a relatively young man and enjoyed a significant deal of success along the way.

"We’re looking forward to further tapping into that potential to give us an important addition to our line-up."

Duckett has played all three formats of international cricket for England, featuring in four away Tests against Bangladesh and India in late 2016, as well as making an ODI debut against the Tigers.

His one T20 international came against Pakistan in 2019 but has remained on outer for the national set-up in the main. He was back in the fold briefly this season when a COVID scare in the England camp just two days out from an ODI series against Pakistan forced them to recruit an emergency side, but he did not play.

He was part of the England squad that arrived in Australia ahead of the 2017-18 Ashes, making headlines for tipping a beer over James Anderson's head in a Perth bar.

He's set to play the full season for the Heat unless called into the England Lions squad that is touring in conjunction with this summer's Vodafone Ashes – he is having another solid first-class season, with an unbeaten 177 early in the County Championship, and is averaging 40.13 in 11 games.

His arrival completes the Heat's complement of international recruits for BBL|11 along with the returning Banton and Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman.

The Heat still have five domestic spots to fill on their squad, with players such as Jack Wildermuth, who scored a century in Queensland's Premier Cricket opening round last weekend, still yet to commit.

Max Bryant, Ben Laughlin and Morne Morkel are among others who played for the Heat last summer yet to confirm their Big Bash plans this summer.

The club is also yet to announce a new captain following Chris Lynn's decision to stand down this summer, although Jimmy Peirson is expected to land that role.

Brisbane Heat BBL|11 squad (so far): Tom Banton (England), Xavier Bartlett, Tom Cooper, Ben Duckett (England), Sam Heazlett, Marnus Labuschagne, Chris Lynn, Jimmy Peirson, Michael Neser, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Matt Willans (five players to be added).