BBL: How the Brisbane Heat signed up South African superstar AB de Villiers
Brisbane Heat’s signing of AB De Villiers didn’t happen overnight - it was a meticulously planned masterstroke three years in the making. Here’s how they got their man.
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Landing the biggest fish in Twenty20 world cricket – AB de Villiers – is no mean feat but Brisbane Heat general manager Andrew McShea is a patient angler.
In fact, he’s been sitting on the edge of the South African’s pond for almost three years.
One day after the Heat announced de Villiers as their marquee player for BBL09, McShae reveals the speculative phone call that started it all and how the planets finally aligned for the superstar to make the move.
CASTING A LINE
“There was an initial discussion, at least internally, around the summer of 2017 so around January and my first contact with AB’s manager was around that time,” McShea told The Courier-Mail.
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“That might come as a surprise to many people that we asked then because he was playing international cricket at the time and the likelihood was fairly low given the amount of international cricket going on at that time of year
“So it was probably a little aspirational at the time but you’re always going to have a conversation about a player like AB de Villiers.
“He’s probably one of the first names you’re going to write at the top of your list with regards to player recruitment and at that time he was one of those guys.”
McShea’s early inquiries sparked a frenzied stream of interest from BBL clubs that year with Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes leading the charge, prompting de Villiers to withdraw from negotiations entirely.
But the link with Brisbane remained and when reports of de Villiers’ interest in a Big Bash contract emerged back in April, the Heat found themselves in pole position.
“Obviously we were one of the clubs in the discussions earlier this year when it was a prospect of him coming out and unfortunately things fell over then but from an administration point of view, it wasn’t something I was prepared to give up,” McShea said.
“We maintained a good relationship with AB’s manager, built up a good level of trust and a good level of communication and we’re just really pleased we’ve been able to make it happen.”
QUALITY BAIT
The art of “making it happen” with a world class player like de Villiers needs more than a good level of trust and communication at management level.
Luckily, the Heat had more than a few aces up their sleeve – chiefly that of outgoing skipper Brendon McCullum.
McShea initially hoped to have McCullum and de Villiers playing together as Brisbane’s dual marquee men but said their relationship, along with the influence of coach Darren Lehmann and Heat star Chris Lynn, proved key in securing the prized signature.
“Brendon talks very fondly of his playing in the BBL especially with the Heat and his time not only on the field but also off the field,” McShea said.
“That’s one thing that’s something really important for AB with his family. He’s got two young sons … so the ability to come to Queensland in summer, enjoy both coastlines and theme parks and the family nature of it was a huge factors.
“And there’s other connections through the club, particularly the influence of Darren Lehmann. (AB) has a relationship with Darren, albeit they haven’t worked together in a coaching sense on the same side but there’s been a good relationship there.
“It’s been touched on before but Chris (Lynn) and AB have built a relationship over the past few years in the IPL – again, those two haven’t played together but they’ve played in opposing teams and at the end of the day, all those factors add up to something.”
COST OF THE CATCH
With the cricketing world and sponsors already swarming over de Villiers’ news, the question of his price tag springs to mind.
The former Protea earned more than $200,000 for just a handful of games in last year’s Bangladesh Premier League season and while McShea refrained from disclosing the financials, it’s clear Brisbane are confident they’ll get their money’s worth both on and off the field.
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“In the last 24 hours, the scale of the announcement and the reach that it’s had globally, we’ve fielded dozens of inquiries from sponsors and what the announcements have done via our social media channels overnight has been phenomenal,” McShea said.
“Obviously the deal’s confidential in the way it’s been struck but we’re just really pleased we could get there. It’s something we've persisted with for such a long period of time … and I know that he will play a big role not only for the Heat but in the promotion of the competition, which I think is exciting and something the competition was probably craving.”
Originally published as BBL: How the Brisbane Heat signed up South African superstar AB de Villiers