They’re calling it ‘Lynn-sanity’.
As of 8 January, Chris Lynn has scored more runs (321 at an average of 64.20) than any other player thus far in the Big Bash League, and whacked more sixes (20) than any other batsman. He has faced more balls (189) than any other batsman in the BBL (thanks largely to repeated failures by disappointing West Indian import Lendl Simmons, who opens the batting for the Heat).
But the selectors should not pigeonhole Lynn as merely a T20 slogger.
Unlike many others who have starred in the short form of the game (e.g. Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell), Lynn actually possesses an attractive batting technique and a proven track record in longer form red-ball cricket (i.e. a first class average of 45.88). Lynn should be earmarked for higher honours, not only in the ODI team – from which he was recently excluded – but also the Test team.
With Usman Khawaja now back in the Test team, 36-year old Adam Voges has a lock on the No. 5 spot until he chooses to retire. The selectors should be seeking to identify his replacement. Their repeated attempts to shoe-horn Shaun Marsh into the Test team are misguided and a waste of time. Not only has Marsh demonstrated his mediocrity as a Test player, he’s too old. By the time Voges retires, Marsh will be 35 or 36. Will the selectors still be lauding his alleged ‘talent’ and ‘potential’ then? What would be the point?
No. They must go for youth.
Cameron Bancroft is promising, but he’s an opening batsman. His best chance is to hope that Joe Burns fails and needs to be replaced. At 24, Nic Maddinson has been touted as a future star since his first-class debut five years ago but has never managed to string together the scores he needs.
| First-class career | Age | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn, Chris | 25 | 35 | 59 | 8 | 2340 | 250 | 45.88 | 5 | 11 |
| 2009-10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 220 | 139 | 36.67 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2010-11 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 641 | 172 | 53.42 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2011-12 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 256 | 80 | 19.69 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2012-13 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2013-14 | 8 | 15 | 4 | 752 | 104 | 68.36 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2014-15 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 471 | 250 | 52.33 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2015-16 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Marsh, Shaun | 32 | 115 | 203 | 24 | 7010 | 182 | 39.16 | 17 | 32 |
| Maddinson, N | 24 | 51 | 89 | 6 | 3182 | 181 | 38.33 | 7 | 15 |
| Bancroft, C | 23 | 29 | 53 | 2 | 1864 | 211 | 36.54 | 5 | 6 |
Lynn’s biggest problem has been injury rather than form. Lynn missed the entire 2012-13 Sheffield Shield season after copping a nasty blow to the groin from a Doug Bollinger thunderbolt. He returned to average 58.70 in seven matches in the 2013-14 Shield season AND make 104 and 61 not out against the touring England team before missing the first half of the 2014-15 season following shoulder surgery. He still managed to average 62.71 in five Shield matches, including 250 against Victoria in February 2015. Lynn then dislocated his shoulder in September 2015 and missed the entire 2015 Matador Cup and the first half of the 2015-16 Shield season.
Lynn needs to stay on the park long enough to rack up some red-ball runs. If only he can stay fit and maintain the sort of form he has displayed in the past, it will be difficult to overlook him when Voges finally calls it quits.