LYNN OUT TO BRING HEAT FOR STRIKERS

CHRIS Lynn has revealed he fell out of love with cricket after his unceremonious dumping from the Brisbane Heat and feared he would never play in the Big Bash again.

Lynn insists that talk he may take legal action against Cricket Australia over plans to block him from going to the new UAE T20 League was a “last resort” he never wanted to entertain, as he praised CEO Nick Hockley for ultimately allowing him to head overseas, but still resurrect his BBL career with the Adelaide Strikers this summer.

It’s been an emotional roller coaster for Lynn from the moment he was told he was no longer wanted by his home town to welcoming baby girl Lily Maree into the world a fortnight ago while in the midst of tense negotiations over his cricketing future.

Lynn has opened up to News Corp about the solitary life of being a T20 gun for hire; admitting his ego was bruised by his brutal Brisbane axing, but refusing to lambast the Heat because Queensland is where he wants to live and stay connected to the game.

“Obviously ego gets in the way a little bit when you’re not offered a contract … it obviously did suck a bit at the time, but I had the privilege to play for 10 years at the Brisbane Heat and it’s been awesome,” said Lynn, who got moved on despite being the BBL’S greatest ever run-scorer and one of its biggest ever drawcards.

“They had inklings I wasn’t overly happy with what’s gone on in there and a change is as good as a holiday and I needed a change.

“I was pretty flat throughout the last season to be honest. I’m not using that as an excuse. I suppose I just needed a breather away from the game.

“One thing I would never want to do is bad mouth the organisation because it still has a big place in my heart and obviously I feel I’ve been the blueprint of the Brisbane Heat over the last decade so you don’t want to waste that away by a few angry comments.

“It’s a business and you’re not going to get along with 100 per cent of the people, but that’s just the way it goes.”

After being shown the door by the Heat, Lynn became one of the prime targets for a new T20 league in the UAE offering overseas stars in excess of $500,000 for three weeks’ work.

Lynn also had an offer on the table from Jason Gillespie and the Adelaide Strikers and the ideal scenario for Lynn was to stay in the BBL for part of the competition, before heading to the UAE to cash in on his market value – just like overseas stars Rashid Khan and Trent Boult are being permitted to do.

“If you had told me six weeks ago I would have said I was no chance of playing the BBL,” said Lynn.

“I’m stoked with the outcome and I know it’s not the full season, but 11 games is better than none.”