Melbourne: The Brisbane Heat has signed Australian all-rounder Shane Watson to play for the franchise for three years in the Big Bash League.
Heat coach Darren Lehmann said while Watson was still heavily committed to representing Australia, the chance to secure him for three years was too good to pass up.
“I saw first-hand how dominant he could be during the IPL this year when he was with Rajasthan and when we got to putting our list together, we were pretty excited to factor him into the squad,” Lehmann said.
“There was probably a fair bit about lifestyle in Watto``s decision to be honest, as I know he was keen to spend some more time around Brisbane to be closer to his family,” News.com.au quoted him, as saying.
“He`s an Ipswich boy and I thought it was great what he did when he came back to lend a hand in the community after the floods. He`s certainly a generous person when it comes to remembering where he came from and I am sure that the folks from Ipswich will head to the Gabba in their droves when he plays for us,” Lehmann said.
Watson said he was excited about working with Lehmann back in Brisbane.
“Boof is a great bloke and has made a really big impact as a coach since he went down that path,” he said.
ANI
First Published: Thursday, July 19, 2012, 13:46