Former South Africa limited-overs captain Johan Botha has been appointed as the new head coach of Brisbane Heat and Queensland in state cricket for the next three years. Botha, 42, comes out of retirement to take up the coaching role, following the departure of Wade Seccombe.
The coaching recruitment process was overseen by Queensland’s head of elite cricket Joe Dawes, CEO Terry Svenson, and former Test wicketkeeper and Queensland board director Ian Healy. Botha’s appointment comes after a career that saw him play five Tests, 78 ODIs, and 40 T20Is for South Africa, including captaining the side in 21 white-ball matches.
“I’m very excited to be here,” Botha said following his appointment. “It’s a great challenge for me, one that I’m looking forward to. I’ve had some experience with coaching in the T20 format around the world, but this is a different challenge, coaching at the state level in Australia.”
Botha’s coaching experience includes stints with various T20 franchises around the world, including head coach roles with three PSL sides (Multan Sultans, Karachi Kings, and Islamabad United), as well as coaching Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL. He was also the head coach of Sharjah Warriors in the ILT20 and an assistant coach with Seattle Orcas in the MLC.
“I’m looking forward to working with the players here and hopefully helping them improve and achieve success,” Botha added. “I know there’s a lot of talent in the squad, and I believe we can build something special here.”
Dawes emphasized Botha’s “fiercely motivated and determined” nature, stating that he will bring a “fresh and dynamic outlook” to both the Bulls and Brisbane Heat squads. Botha, speaking after his appointment, highlighted his coaching relationships with players like Michael Neser and Colin Munro, stating that his coaching style differs from his approach as a player.
“I think chatting to him during PSL and post PSL he just said to me, he was so surprised at how different I was as a coach to a player,” Botha said of his experience coaching Usman Khawaja at Islamabad United in the PSL. “I think he’s had a little taste of me. Hopefully, he’s spread that to the group that what you played against is a little bit different, which I think is a good thing.”
Botha credited the late Dean Jones and Tom Moody as key coaching mentors, noting Jones’s innovative approach to T20 cricket. Botha acknowledged that his biggest challenge will be coaching the Shield side, as most of his coaching experience has been in the T20 format.
Botha’s appointment marks a new chapter in his cricketing journey, as he transitions from a successful playing career to a coaching role, bringing with him a wealth of experience and knowledge from the international and franchise cricket circuits.
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