Brisbane Heat appoints Julia Price as assistant coach

Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Brisbane Heat on Sunday appointed former Australian wicket-keeper Julia Price as the club's Assistant Coach.

Price is the first female coach for a BBL franchise.

Acknowledging the development, head coach Darren Lehmann, in an official statement said, "We'd been chatting about whether there were some professional development opportunities for her through her USA role and we just went from there."

"She has an excellent cricket brain and plenty of experience as a head coach, so I can see her fitting quite neatly into our set-up," he continued.

"I'm pleased that Heat have been able to go in a direction that we haven't seen yet in the BBL in having a woman on the coaching staff, but I don't believe it will be the last time it happens either. Hopefully, this works well for 'Pricey' and assists her with her role with USA Cricket in the future," he added.

Price who has played 10 Tests and 84 One-Day Internationals for Australia was 'very excited' about the same.

"I'm very excited at this opportunity provided to me by the Heat," said Price.

"The role gives me great exposure to different coaches and players and gets me out of my comfort zone to ensure I keep developing as a coach, particularly now with my work with USA Cricket."

Price was part of Australia's 1997 and 2005 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup triumphs.