Australian batter Chris Lynn have parted ways with Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL) after spending 11 years with the franchise. In this long cricket span, he played more than 100 games and becomes the only player in BBL history to have scored more than 3000 runs.
Chris Lynn Leaves Brisbane Heat
Lynn, who was a foundation player for the club and the first man to play 100 BBL games with the same team, played 102 BBL games for the Heat and also leads the competition for sixes hit.
Lynn had two separate stints as captain of the Brisbane Heat, first in 2015-16 in BBL|05 at the peak of his powers, and again for three seasons between BBL 2018-19 and BBL 2020-21 (BBL seasons 08, 09, and 10).
Lynn stepped away from the captaincy last summer, handing the reins to Jimmy Peirson in an attempt to focus on his batting, but last summer yielded just 215 runs at 17.91 in his 12 matches – his leanest return in 11 seasons in the competition – as the Heat finished the tournament in seventh with just three wins.
Lynn’s best years for the Heat were in 2015-17, when across two seasons he hit 687 runs at a strike-rate north of 175, with 53 sixes.
However, with the club failing to make the finals four times in the past five years and having not reached a decider since their title win in 2012-13, Brisbane Heat and Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson said it was time to move on.
“It’s not a decision that has come easily to the Heat by any means,” CEO Terry Svenson said.
“Chris Lynn and his feats have made an indelible impression on the club, and his efforts over more than a decade can rightly be said to have had an enormously positive effect on cricket. The Heat wish him nothing but the best for the future as he transitions into another phase of his career and thank him wholeheartedly for his commitment to the game in Queensland.”
Lynn also holds the record for the most number of sixes (180) in the competition. Given his hitting prowess, the 32-year-old is expected to have no shortage of takers as he seeks a new club. Currently, there is an embargo on signing players but the clubs can still have non-binding discussions with players.
“Chris Lynn will be missed by thousands, however, the decision we have made as a club is about building on the legacy that he leaves as a foundation player, captain and ambassador for the Heat,” Queensland Cricket’s Recruitment and Retention Committee Chair, Ian Healy said.
“We thank Heat members, fans, corporate partners and sponsors for their wholehearted support of ‘Lynny’ and recognising his great performances over the past 11 seasons. He holds a very special place in our history.”
Chris Lynn’s Brisbane Heat career
- Played – 102
- Runs – 3005
- HS – 101
- SR – 148.76
- Avg – 34.54
- 100s – 1
- 50s – 24
- 6s – 180
- 4s – 233
