Brisbane Heat lose cult hero Josh Brown to Melbourne Renegades

The Brisbane Heat have been left ‘disappointed’ after losing one of the stars of their BBL winning season.

Big Bash batting bruiser Josh Brown has signed with the Melbourne Renegades and the Brisbane Heat have conceded their fans will feel the pain.

The Renegades announced the signing of cult hero Brown on a two-year deal but Heat performance manager Joe Dawes referred to it as a four-year deal in his reaction to Brown’s departure.

It is understood the deal is for two years with Brown having an option for two more.

“We provided Josh and his management with a two-year contract offer that was very lucrative and a significant uplift,’’ Dawes said.

“However, we understand the lure of a four-year commitment for him as a player, even though we believed our offer was very competitive and more than fair.

“Our fans will justifiably be disappointed that he won’t be with us going forward, and as a club, we are sad to lose Josh, no doubt.

“However, he will always have a special place in the club’s history, and we are proud that the Heat provided him with an opportunity to showcase his skill and make the most of his talent to benefit he and his family.”

Josh Brown stepped up at the pointy end of the season for the Heat. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Brown, 30, was the talk of the Big Bash after smashing a sensational 140 off 57 balls in this year’s semi-final against the Strikers then 53 off 38 against the Sydney Sixers in the final as the Heat stormed to their second title.

Late-blooming Brown earned his first contract with the Heat two summers ago on the back of a rampaging season in the KFC T20 Max competition which is a feeder competition for the Big Bash.

In nine matches for Norths he smacked 447 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 211.8 including 41 sixes.

“I’ve enjoyed my time with the Heat, they gave me my opportunity, for which I’ll always be grateful and have cherished memories including winning a BBL Championship last season,” Brown said.

“But I am extremely excited for a new challenge and hopefully achieve the same success with the Renegades.

“It’s a young group with a lot of talent and firepower, especially in that batting group. I can’t wait to partner with the likes of (Jake) Fraser-McGurk and (Will) Sutherland and see what we can do.”

Heat fans enjoyed the battler-made-good story including the fact that Brown was a batmaker who worked at the Cooper Cricket Warehouse in northern Brisbane where he often repaired bats from Heat teammates.

Brown surged from out of the blue to become the ideal top order replacement for Chris Lynn who joined the Strikers.

Brown joins the Renegades with the future of their coach David Saker under a cloud despite the fact he has another year left in his contract.

Originally published as Brisbane Heat lose cult hero Josh Brown to Melbourne Renegades