Chris Lynn is the leader in the batting chart : His team, Brisbane Heat, ended the league stage with 6 points from three wins and was third from the bottom in the Points Table. The Queenslander, Christopher Austin ‘Chris’ Lynn, the team skipper, however, heads the table of ‘leading run scorers’ in this edition of the tournament at the end of the semi-final stage.
Featuring in all the eight games, remaining unbeaten on one occasion, Lynn has amassed 378 runs at an average of 54.0 at 173.39 strike-rate, with 101 runs as his personal best. He also has a century and three half-tons to his credit.
Of the above, 254 (67.2%) runs have been scored by way of fours (23) and sixes (27).
His personal best of 101 runs with 5 fours and 7 sixes off 51 deliveries at a strike-rate of 198.03 came in the match against Hobart Hurricanes played on 29 Dec, 2015, at Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, Hurricanes set a target of 195 runs for Heat to chase in 20 overs for a win.
Losing both the openers, wicket-keeper Jimmy Pierson (1) and Lendl Simmons (0) with the scoreboard reading 7 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 1.2 overs, it was on Lynn to put the innings together and work his way towards the target.
With Sam Heazlett for company, Lynn put on 79 runs in 7.5 overs (the best partnership for any wicket in this match) taking the team total of 86 runs, when Heazlett departed after scoring 26 runs off 24 deliveries.
Chris has been waging a lone battle from one end, while wickets kept on tumbling at the other. His was the fifth wicket to fall at the team score of 157 runs in 17.2 overs.
The skipper scored his maiden BBL century.
Playing in 39 games (38 innings – unbeaten on 6 occasions) in the tournament since inception, Lynn scored 1,103 runs at an average of 34.46 and 152.98 strike rate.
Losing four games on a trot, Brisbane Heat registered their first win in the game against Sydney Thunder, played on 3rd January, 2016.
Chasing 187 runs for a win, Heat put on 189 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 19.3 overs, backed by a good opening partnership of 72 runs in 9.1 overs by the wicket-keeper, Jimmy Pierson (40) and Lendl Simmons (34) followed by a well-made 75 runs off just 32 deliveries with 6 fours and 6 sixes by Chris Lynn.
Heat won the match by 6 wickets with 3 deliveries to spare.
For his heroics with the bat and for leading the team from the front, Chris Lynn was awarded the Player of the Match.
Thereafter they also registered wins against Sydney Sixers (by 6 runs) on 10th Jan, 2016, and against Melbourne Stars (by 56 runs) on 14th Jan. 2016.
Closest to Lynn in the ‘leading run scorers’ chart is Travis Head of Adelaide Strikers who has 299 runs in his kitty. However, Strikers are out of the competition and hence Lynn is absolutely safe in his numero uno position, unless Mike Hussey of Sydney Thunders manages to score more than 90 runs or Usman Khawaja manages to score more than 103 runs in the final encounter. Presently Hussey is in the third position with 288 runs to his credit and Khawaja is in the fifth position with a tally of 275 runs.
The title clash between Sydney Thunders and Melbourne Stars will be played on 24th Jan, 2016 at MCG.