Photo Credit: Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat will welcome back a prodigal son this summer with Queensland and Australian pace bowler Michael Neser to join the KFC Big Bash League club for the next three years.
Neser was an original signing for the Heat, playing in the inaugural year of the BBL for Brisbane in 2011-12 before switching to the Adelaide Strikers.
The 31-year-old Gold Coast product returns to the Heat as one of the State’s most accomplished fast bowlers, with his form in all three formats of the game earning him multiple honours in recent seasons.
He is a three-time winner of the Ian Healy Trophy as the best Queensland player and has spent much of the past two years involved in the Australian Test and ODI squads.
Neser said today he was keen to make the most of his switch to the team in teal.
“I enjoyed my time with the Strikers and have got a lot of good friends at the club,’’ he said. “It goes without saying that I am grateful for the opportunities I received there.”
“Coming back to the Heat feels right though, and after being away in England for a while, I am very keen to get into the season, firstly with the Queensland Bulls and then with Brisbane.”
“There are a lot of the Queensland boys in the Heat squad so it will be fun being back together again across the whole summer after we had such a good year last season.”
“Having been at the Gabba in the opposition ranks a few times, I am looking forward to experiencing the Heat home games in the right dugout this time as it is always a big night at the home games.”
“I am also pretty excited to be able to play on the Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium which will no doubt be popular with my family and friends down there,” he said.
Neser is one of a handful of players to win a BBL title and a Sheffield Shield title in the same season, winning trophies with the Strikers and Bulls in 2017-18.
He featured prominently for the Bulls in their 2020-21 Shield win earlier this year when his first innings haul of 5-27 in the first innings was the best Individual bowling effort of the Final.
Neser, who finished with 18 wickets at 24.33 for Queensland, also scored his maiden first class century for the State during the summer.
Brisbane head coach Wade Seccombe said the addition of Neser to the Heat squad would deliver impact on and off the field.
“You always get 100 percent from Michael, whether it’s with bat or the ball in the field, or as one of your senior players off the field,’’ he said.
“Both Darren Lehmann and I were very keen to get Michael back to Queensland for the Heat when the opportunity came up, and he is a very important recruit for us.
“He’s an experienced and skilful T20 bowler as well as being a good leader, and that will complement our existing attack very nicely,” Seccombe said.
Neser has played 75 career T20 games, snaring 75 wickets at an economy rate of 8.44 and a strike rate of 19.30.
He recently resumed training with Queensland after playing for Glamorgan in the English county competition during the northern summer.
