Chris Lynn is out of Australia’s World Cup picture, puts IPL first
Chris Lynn is out of Australia’s World Cup race after ongoing concerns over his chronic shoulder injury and doubts over his chances of making the final cut prompted him to prioritise the security of the IPL.
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Chris Lynn’s days as an Australian cricketer might be over after effectively pulling himself out of the World Cup race.
The Daily Telegraph understands that Lynn is no longer under consideration by selectors for the World Cup defence in the UK starting in June, following a frank and stark conversation between the Big Bash star and the Cricket Australia hierarchy about where he realistically stood in the 50-over reckoning.
In the end, it seems Lynn felt he couldn’t risk the $1.86 million contract he stands to earn in the Indian Premier League competition, by pushing his worrying chronic shoulder injury through a potential selection ordeal that in any case only offered an outside hope of forcing his way back into the Australian team.
Of course Lynn will still be a chance of playing Twenty20 cricket for Australia ahead of next year’s bumper World Cup on home soil. But despite his obvious talent, he is virtually out of the running to ever represent his country again in the more taxing 50-over format.
This time last year, all the indications from behind the scenes were that Lynn was Australia’s preferred No.3 as they looked into the crystal ball with their long-term World Cup planning.
Key figures felt his unique power and game-changing ability at the top of the order could help Australia come up to speed with England, whose big-hitting engine room had revolutionised ODI batting strategy.
A lot has changed in Australian cricket since then, however, after three ODIs against South Africa back in November, it became clear just how far Lynn was off the pace in the 50-over form.
Lynn couldn’t dive and couldn’t throw, leaving him as a potential passenger in the field in a high-stakes knockout match.
Australia was prepared to allow his supreme batting talents to cancel out his liability in the field, but against South Africa Lynn was exposed by quality fast bowling and lacked the commanding presence he holds at the crease in the T20 arena.
Glenn Maxwell is clearly Australia’s No.1 fireworks option.
Lynn shares a close relationship with fellow Queenslander and National Selector Trevor Hohns and when discussions took place with CA management it seems all parties were – reluctantly – on the same page about his realistic chances of making and then contributing at a World Cup.
There might only have been a slim chance of Lynn being picked for this ODI tour of India, but if injury or form dictated a change in thinking on Lynn, Australia needed to know if he was all in.
The lifetime financial security offered by his IPL deal, understandably made Lynn nervous about what was at stake in the event of another career-altering mishap to his shoulder in the more physically challenging 50-over game.
Australia’s ODI tour against Pakistan in the UAE overlaps the start of the IPL, and if Lynn then made the cut for the final World Cup squad, Cricket Australia rules would have required him to pull out of the final two weeks of his IPL commitment – meaning up to $1 million in Indian earnings could have been on the line.
The likes of Maxwell and Aaron Finch have made the bold decision to sacrifice millions by pulling out of the IPL altogether this year.
But both are at the pointy end of Australia’s plans and neither are nursing chronic injuries that could end their careers without notice.
Originally published as Chris Lynn is out of Australia’s World Cup picture, puts IPL first
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