What’s the story?
Australian cricketer Chris Lynn is on a mission to become the talk of the cricketing world before the end of the year. With his performances in the Big Bash League so far, averaging 198 with a strike-rate of 167.8 and a total of 198 runs in 3 matches for the unbeaten Brisbane Heat, he is certainly on the right track.
On Friday night, he smashed a fierce delivery from Shaun Tait onto the roof of the Gabba,. While it was bowled at nearly 150 kmph, it went as far as 121 metres.
His performances have caught the eye of Brisbane Heat coach Daniel Vettori, who reckons Lynn has the talent to be part of the Australian setup in all three formats of the game.
“His record speaks for itself in all formats. He is an aggressive player but he is also highly skillful and a very thoughtful player. That’s the combination of things you want in any format.” said Vettori while speaking to The Guardian.
In case you didn’t know...
26-year-old Chris Lynn has been labeled as a T20 specialist with his performances for the Brisbane Heat and the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. However, he’s a very accomplished cricketer in the first-class level as well.
His record of over 2700 runs at an average of 44 with 6 centuries for Queensland speaks for itself, but he has understandably made more headlines with his swashbuckling performances in the T20 leagues around the world.
He has made his debut for Australia, albeit only in T20Is, where he has represented his country 5 times after making his debut against England at Hobart in 2014.
The heart of the matter
Cricket is a tricky game for the youngsters these days. Quite often performing well in one format comes as an impediment to the other, as the player is stereotyped as being an expert only in that format.
Players like Cheteshwar Pujara of India are restricted to Test cricket, while you wouldn’t imagine Suresh Raina playing another Test for India.
Vettori certainly believes that Lynn has the tools to make him a star for his country in all three formats. Lynn, too, would like to one day play Test cricket for Australia.
A series of shoulder injuries over the past three seasons have cost him a long run in the Sheffield Shield tournament and the right-handed batsman is vary of the fact.
“Obviously the (Test) ambition is there but it is hard to put a name in front of selectors when I haven’t hit a red ball for close to 12 months now. I’d like to get a full season out the way, get the shoulder right and then we will see what happens.” Lynn said.
What’s next?
Lynn is set to make the Australian squad for a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in February. We will definitely see him playing a starring role in this year’s IPL, where one can expect him to be one of the biggest stars.
What Lynn really wants, and what Vettori believes he deserves, is a crack at the Test and ODI sides.
Sportskeeda’s take
If you have been as lucky as us to witness Lynn in action, you will not complain if you see more of him. He’s one of the cleanest strikers of the ball and it’s an absolute delight watching him wield his bat.
One does not see him breaking into the Test side with a tough tour in India next on the horizon for the Aussies. The ODI side, with an indifferent Glenn Maxwell, represents a more realistic expectation for now.
Until then, let’s just revel in the delight that is ‘Lynnsanity’
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