The Brisbane Heat have confirmed ex-fruit market worker Chris Sabburg has snapped up their final Big Bash League player spot for the second season in a row.

And the reigning BBL champions have also been buoyed by New Zealand import Daniel Vettori’s positive step on the comeback trail before the domestic Twenty20 tournament.

Unheralded allrounder Sabburg, 23, got the nod from coach Stuart Law after turning heads in Queensland’s T20 Challenge tournament that concluded on Sunday.

Sabburg was also signed after impressing in last season’s T20 Challenge, capping a rags-to-riches story by featuring in the Heat’s BBL final win over Perth that qualified them for the lucrative Champions League in India.

And Brisbane will be confident of seeing more of another more well known allrounder this summer – Vettori.

The Kiwi veteran showed encouraging signs for Northern Districts in New Zealand’s HRV T20 Cup opening round, his comeback from an achilles injury that at one stage threatened his career.

He finished with 0-32 off four overs of off-spin to help Northern Districts claim a nine-run win over reigning champions Otago in Dunedin on Saturday night.

It was Otago’s first T20 loss in a year.

Vettori will fly into Brisbane along with fellow Heat import, England international Craig Kieswetter, ahead of the Heat’s opening clash – a final re-match with Perth – at the Gabba on December 22.

Heat squad: Nick Buchanan, Joe Burns, Dan Christian, Ben Cutting, Peter Forrest, Cameron Gannon, Ryan Harris, Chris Hartley, Nathan Hauritz, James Hopes (capt), Mitchell Johnson, Craig Kieswetter, Chris Lynn, Alister McDermott, Luke Pomersbach, Chris Sabburg, Daniel Vettori, Shane Watson.