BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 22: Spencer Johnson of the Heat celebrates victory with his team mates after the Men's Big Bash League match between the Brisbane Heat and the Melbourne Stars at The Gabba, on January 22, 2023, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The Brisbane Heat have locked away left-arm fast bowler Spencer Johnson until the end of the 2026 BBL campaign.

Johnson got his opportunity with the Heat after excellent form in the T20 Max competition for Redlands.

The 27-year-old quickly made an impression with the Heat after his debut against the Perth Scorchers, playing in the next 10 games as the team went on a late-season surge before ultimately falling short in the final to the Scorchers.

His pairing alongside fast bowlers  Michael Neser and Xavier Bartlett, and spinners Matthew Kuhnemann and Mitchell Swepson, had an impact on slowing down the opposition's scoring run-rate.

Johnson had his best game in the semi-final win over the heavily favoured Sydney Sixers, finishing with 3/28, including vital scalps of Kurtis Patterson, Daniel Christian, and Hayden Kerr.

As a reward for his BBL campaign, Johnson would earn a recall in the South Australian team, in both the Shield and One-Day Cup sides.

With Johnson cementing his place for the next three seasons, he expressed his excitement for what lies ahead.

"I'm very pleased to commit to the Heat for the next three BBL seasons as I certainly had an enjoyable and rewarding time with the team last season," Johnson told the team's website.

"I was only thinking the other day that a bit over 12 months ago, I was getting ready to come up to Brisbane to play some pre-season Premier Cricket T20 games and give myself a chance of potentially landing a BBL deal.

"For that to happen, and then to go on to play in the matches we did was a dream come true.

"We've got close, and the prospect of seeing what we can achieve this summer is a very strong incentive for all of the Heat squad coming into BBL|13."

Bennett King, Queensland Cricket General Manager - High Performance, said retaining Johnson was the team's priority.

"Extending Spencer's contract after his performances during the BBL had been one of the priorities identified in our post-tournament review and we are delighted to sign him until BBL|15," King said.

Whilst the BBL season doesn't start until December, teams can start signing as of Tuesday.