Former South Africa spinner Johan Botha in box seat to coach Queensland and Brisbane

The hunt for the new Bulls and Heat head coach is down to its final three, with a former South African spinner the warm favourite to take the reins.

Former South African spinner Johan Botha is the warm favourite to land the vacant Queensland Bulls and Brisbane Heat coaching jobs.

Botha, 42, is understood to have been one of the final three candidates for the roles, alongside ex-Bulls and Australian paceman Ashley Noffke and former England white-ball skipper Adam Hollioake.

Botha, who played 123 times for the Proteas across all formats, moved into coaching since his retirement, leading the Sharjah Warriors T10 team and serving as an assistant for the Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket.

He became an Australian citizen during his playing career and had stints with several Big Bash League teams as well as playing for South Australia.

Johan Botha looks set to land the Queensland Bulls and Brisbane Heat coaching roles. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Queensland Cricket has been on the hunt for a new coach to replace the BBL-winning Wade Seccombe, who resigned earlier in the year just months after the Heat’s BBL title.

Seccombe is separately poised to join Cricket Victoria in a new BBL high performance role, alongside ex-Aussie and Victorian quick Clint McKay.

Noffke is coach of the Queensland and Hear women’s teams. It remains to be seen whether he will stay in those roles.

QC decided to keep the two men’s positions together as a package.

The SACA is looking for new men’s team coaches in domestic and BBL cricket after Jason Gillespie’s move to Pakistan, while the Melbourne Renegades need to replace departed coach David Saker.