Lynn finds smashing form for Brisbane
THE power-hitting display Chris Lynn put on in Geelong on Sunday night was everything he couldn’t do when he was in the Australian one-day team.
His four sixes in the Brisbane Heat’s win over the Melbourne Renegades 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 had plenty questioning the lack of smashers in the line-up.
Australia, the defending World Cup champs, have managed 300 just four times in the past 20 matches.
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.
“You look at that line-up, there’s power all the way down the list,” he said. “Pete (Handscomb) and Uzzie (Khawaja) are perhaps two guys with the least power, but they still clear the fence and have so much time when they bat.
“There’s an elegance to that line-up, then there’s also that brute power with Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis to complement them. It’s got a pretty good balance at the moment, if you ask me.”
Lynn was left out of the squad, setting his own World Cup ambitions back, 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 an average of 52 through seven games.
Lynn says he is better against spin than the numbers suggest, but knows there is only one way for him to get back in the team before the World Cup.
“I’ve just got to put the runs on the board. I can only do it in what’s in front of me and that’s the Big Bash, and I’m going OK at the moment.”