Somerset batter Tom Abell has signed with Brisbane Heat for the upcoming BBL. The promising right-hander also has a chance to be part of the England Lions squad set to tour Australia in support of England's Ashes squad. The 27-year-old replaces Somerset team-mate Tom Banton as the third overseas player at the Heat joining Ben Duckett and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Abell comes off an excellent Vitality Blast season where he scored 295 runs in six games at a strike rate of 161.20, including four half-centuries, helping Somerset reach the final. He has a lot of experience in Australia having toured with the England Lions in 2019-20 playing in the unofficial Test against Australia A at the MCG. Abell has also played three seasons of grade cricket in Perth with Fremantle playing alongside the likes of Shaun and Mitch Marsh, Ashton Turner, and Jhye Richardson.
The Somerset captain, who has played 53 T20s and scored at a strike rate of 144.94, has previously participated in T20 leagues in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Even as he has never been a part of the BBL, he has previously played a season of Premier Cricket in Perth in 2015."I cannot wait to get out to Australia and join up with the Heat club," said Abell. "I have always been a huge fan of the BBL and there has been a long-standing connection with the Heat and Somerset with the likes of Lewis Gregory, Tom Banton, Craig Kieswetter and Roelof van der Merwe over the years. "I am really excited by the opportunity, and I am looking forward to getting stuck in and doing my bit for the team." Abell will be the fifth first-timer Englishman to be a part of this season's BBL following the signings of Saqid Mahmood (Thunder), Harry Brook (Hobart Hurricanes), George Garton (Adelaide Strikers) and Duckett (Heat). Alex Hales and Sam Billings (both Sydney Thunder), James Vince and Tom Curran (both Sydney Sixers) are also set to return.
