Lynn’s power play for return to side
THE power-hitting display Chris Lynn put on against the Renegades was everything he couldn’t do when he was in the Australian one-day team.
His four sixes in the Brisbane Heat’s massive win over the Melbourne team in Geelong on Sunday was also the same amount of maximums the entire Australian side managed in last Saturday’s ODI victory over India.
Despite the Aussie win at the SCG, the inability of coach Justin Langer’s men to top 300, the new par score in a World Cup year, had plenty questioning the lack of smashers in the line-up.
It’s a number World Cup favourites England have passed 31 times since the 2015 World Cup.
Australia, the defending champs, have managed 300 just 15 times in the same period, and just four times in the past 20 matches.
Plenty called for Glenn Maxwell, who has career strike rate of 121 through his 88 ODIs, to bat higher than No.7, where captain Aaron Finch said he can “float” from.
But Lynn, who was circumspect after being overlooked for the series, said the new-look line-up had got the job done once and would be able to build in to the team everyone wants them to be.
“There’s a time and place for your big strike rates, but you look at that line-up, there’s power all the way down the list,” Lynn said.
Lynn was left out of the squad for dual reasons.
The first was making just 59 runs at 19 in three games against South Africa in November. The second was a poor strike-rate against spin, of which India bowled 20 overs at the SCG.
The Heat captain has responded by being the leading scorer in the Big Bash with 313 runs at a staggering average of 52 through seven games.
He’s adamant he is better against spin than the numbers suggest but knows plenty of runs is the only one way for him to get back in the World Cup team.