Dan Lawrence joins Brisbane Heat for BBL 10

Brisbane Heat have confirmed that Dan Lawrence will join the club as an international replacement for fellow Englishman Tom Banton for the upcoming season of Big Bash League (BBL) that gets underway next month.

Banton and his Somerset teammate, allrounder Lewis Gregory, will both be involved with England's upcoming tour of South Africa which will see them miss the start of the BBL next month.

Lawrence was 17 when he scored his maiden first-class century, a knock of 161 in just his second first-class game for Essex, the third-youngest player in County cricket history to do so, and he has since developed into a formidable three-format player.

"Dan is a really exciting pick-up for us and has a good reputation as a young player who can influence results with his skills and experience," Heat coach Darren Lehmann said in an official statement.

"He caught the eye during the Lions tour with the way he adapted so successfully to local conditions and that is something we think will help at the start of the tournament when we are playing in Canberra and at the Gabba and Metricon Stadium," Lehmann added.

Lawrence was a key member of Essex's T20 Blast title in 2019 as well as their two recent County titles and was named as one of the 'local icons' for London Spirit in the inaugural Hundred draft last year.

"The BBL is a bit of a staple diet for us at home during our winter and it will be enormous to be a part of the League out there this summer," said Lawrence.

"The Lions tour was a rewarding one for a lot of the squad and we certainly enjoyed the competitive cricket we got. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone at the Heat and working with the lads to get the team off to a good start," he added.

Brisbane Heat opens its season in Canberra on December 11 against the Melbourne Stars followed by a clash with the Sydney Thunder on 14 December at Manuka Oval before returning home to play the next block of games.

( With inputs from ANI )