Ben Duckett signs with Brisbane Heat for BBL 2021-22

Brisbane Heat have signed England top-order batter Ben Duckett for the upcoming Big Bash League season. This will be the 26-year old's first experience of the BBL, although he did spend some time with the Horbart Hurricanes three years ago while they were on a tour of the UAE.

Duckett has played 129 T20s since making his debut in 2012. Known for an aggressive style of play, the left-hander has 19 scores of fifty or more in the format to go with a strike-rate of 135. He also finished the recently concluded men's Hundred competition as its second-highest run-getter, with a tally of 232.

"I'm looking forward to getting out to Brisbane and hopefully helping the team have a great season," Duckett said in a press release on Tuesday. "I know friends and colleagues have told me what a great team environment it is and how passionate the fans are at the Gabba and on the Gold Coast, and I can't wait to experience this all for myself."

Heat kick off their BBL 11 campaign on December 6, against Sydney Thunder, and will hope their new addition helps them go even better than last time when they fell one step short of making the final.

"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," head coach Wade Seccombe said. "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."