‘Recruit of the season’: Lynn’s new club, role pays dividends

Proclaimed by teammates as the recruit of KFC BBL|12, Chris Lynn has signed off his 11-game Adelaide Strikers stint following a sensational return to his Big Bash best.

Lynn will now link up with the Gulf Giants in the inaugural season of the UAE's International League T20 after the Strikers' clash with his former team the Brisbane Heat this afternoon.

The off-season switch of clubs following a distinguished 11-year career with Heat has provided the 32-year-old with a Big Bash renaissance as he wound back the clock to peel off three consecutive half-centuries.

He finishes his BBL|12 with 416 runs averaging a touch over 41 with a strike rate of 141, with teammate Matt Short his nearest rival at the top of the tournament run-scorers tally with 418.

"I've absolutely loved it, the boys have welcomed me with open arms," Lynn said ahead of his last match of the season for the Strikers.

Strikers skipper Travis Head – who played one match Lynn today following the Australian Test summer – said he hoped the club would be able to re-sign the competition's most prolific batter of all-time for another season.

"He's been unbelievable," Head said. "He's probably been the signing of the summer to be honest in the competition.

"We've welcomed him with open arms and we we're very open with what he wanted to do personally as well, and we encouraged that.

"It's his career, he wants to get what he wants out of it, and he's played 11 really fantastic games for us."

The fresh start and a new role at a new club has provided Lynn with his second best BBL campaign ever in terms of runs scored and it's that change of scenery that Strikers assistant coach Johan Botha says has been great for him.

"Sometimes as players, they get comfortable in one spot and maybe (he) got a little bit stale in Brisbane," Botha said.

"But he's been excellent for us, not just runs on the field, but also around the group.

"He's been excellent chatting to younger batters and his input in team meetings has been excellent."

Botha revealed Lynn's change to No.3 was born out of head coach Jason Gillespie and performance analyst Jarrod Harkness crunching the data to determine his best position.

Indeed, data provided by Opta shows Lynn averages 38.76 at No.3 (2946 runs) in T20s, compared to 30.99 opening the batting (3099 runs).

His dot ball percentage is also lower at No.3 (37 per cent compared to 41.5 opening) while his strike rate (145) is the same in both positions and balls per boundary (5.1 at three compared to 4.55 opening) comparable.

"He's played exceptionally well in a slightly different role, which I was surprised with at the start, everyone thinks of him as an opening batter," Botha said.

"But Dizz (Gillespie) and Jarrod did their research and his numbers at No.3 are actually excellent.

"So that's what they went with, and he's been brilliant throughout the tournament at No.3."

While Lynn is yet to re-sign with the Strikers for next season, he will return to Northamptonshire for the T20 Blast during the Australian winter after crunching 516 runs striking at almost 160 last year that secured him a marquee deal in the ILT20 and put him back on the radar of BBL clubs.