BRISBANE, Australia – The Brisbane Heat have signed the world’s number one international T20 bowler for this summer’s KFC T20 Big Bash League, as West Indian leg-spinner Samuel Badree will join New Zealand legend Daniel Vettori as the Heat’s slow bowling options for BBL|04.

Badree is currently the number one ranked bowler on the ICC’s official Player Rankings, a position he has occupied since starring for the West Indies at this year’s World T20 championships in Bangladesh.
The 33-year-old Physical Education teacher from Trinidad and Tobago claimed the Windies best-ever T20 figures of 4-15 from four overs on the way to finishing with 11 wickets at 10.27 with an economy rate of 5.65.
Badree is a T20 specialist who has played more than 100 Twenty20 matches and taken more than 100 wickets in his career and was a member of the victorious Chennai Super Kings squad at this month’s Champions League T20 tournament.
It was his efforts for the T&T Red Steel at last year’s’ CLT20 when they were in the same pool as the Brisbane Heat which sowed the seeds for coach Stuart Law.
“Samuel bowled really well against us and throughout the Champions League, so we kept an eye on him after that,’’ he said. “He’s a different sort of leg-spin bowler but very effective.”
“We know we will have two world class spinners for the majority of the tournament and we believe Samuel will bring to the table with us what he has done around the world with such success.”
“You look up his record with the West Indies and the domestic teams he has played for and it is first rate. We’re sure he is going to be keen to tick the same box with us.”
Law said the Heat hoped the Trinidadian would be available for the entire BBL series.
Badree and his family will join Brisbane in December ahead of the opening BBL|04 match against the Sydney Thunder at ANZ Stadium on December 21 and the Heat’s first home game against Kevin Pietersen’s Melbourne Stars at the Gabba on December 28.
The Heat have now signed 17 of their 18 players for BBL|04, with the signing deadline to complete their roster by December 5.
The Heat squad is now: Samuel Badree, Joe Burns, Daniel Christian, Ben Cutting, Ryan Duffield, Peter Forrest, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Chris Lynn, Alister McDermott, Dan Vettori, Shane Watson, Nathan Reardon, Cameron Gannon, Mark Steketee, Nick Buchanan, James Peirson.