BBL14: Chris Lynn on Matt Short’s BBL dominance ahead of Strikers opening match

Matt Short has made more than 400 runs more than any other player in the past three BBL campaigns — and ominously, teammate Chris Lynn says the Strikers captain is about to get even better.

Chris Lynn has lauded the emergence of Matt Short as the Big Bash’s dominant force as the Strikers captain strives to lead his side to its first title since 2018.

Short has amassed 458 more runs than any other player in the past three BBL campaigns, hammering 1492 runs since the start of BBL11.

Hobart Hurricanes slugger Ben McDermott (1034 runs) sits second for runs during that period, with Moises Henriques (1003) the only other player to eclipse 1000 runs.

Lynn, the BBL’s all-time leading run scorer, backed Short to claim his third straight MVP trophy in BBL14.

“The big thing for him now, he’s got his young family and he’s trying to cement his spot in the Aussie team. So he’ll have his head down more than ever now,” Lynn said.

“If you do have a little one, it can change priorities and sometimes your cricket is put on the backburner. But I don’t believe so in this case.

“He’s such a cool, relaxed guy and with the (captaincy) against his name I reckon he’s just looking to go further and further in front of everyone.”

Another roof hit for Matt Short! 💥

The Strikers are in cruise control! #BBL13pic.twitter.com/bl1lexT2B8

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 14, 2024

The Victorian batter has become a mainstay in the top-order of Australia’s white-ball teams since his debut in August last year.

Lynn said Short’s brilliance in the past two summers had helped inspire his own resurgence as a Striker.

“Batting with Shorty I felt we just connected and I felt always playing against him, he got really pretty 20s and 30s but never really got those big scores,” he said.

“I’ve seen the last two years, him just go wooshka.

“He’s taken the heat off me at the other end. I don’t have to play a risky shot - he’s doing it all for me. To see him out there and see him grow as a person, as a captain, as a father, it’s pretty special.”

Matt Short has been the BBL’s premier player of the past two seasons.

Short and his fiancee, Olympic swimmer, Madi Wilson, welcomed their baby boy Austin in August.

The Strikers will start their BBL14 campaign on Tuesday against Sydney Thunder.

The match will mark new coach Tim Paine’s first game in charge since succeeding Jason Gillespie.

“I have got full faith he’s going to do a magnificent job,” Lynn said.

“He’s captained the Australian cricket team. That’s pretty special. Pressure is nothing new to him. Adversity is nothing new to him.

“I’m really excited to see what he can do around this group and I really want to help him be a part of that.”

TOP 10 RUN SCORERS (BBL11-BBL13)

Matt Short - Strikers (1492 runs)

Ben McDermott - Hurricanes (1034)

Moises Henriques - Sixers (1003)

Josh Phillipe - Sixers (952)

Chris Lynn - Heat/Strikers (935)

Joe Clarke - Renegades/Stars (911)

Aaron Hardie - Scorchers (909)

Hilton Cartwright - Stars (908)

Jon Wells - Strikers/Renegades (901)

Colin Munro - Heat/Scorchers (892)

‘FELT LIKE A SCAPEGOAT’: HOW LYNN GOT OVER HEAT EXIT

Chris Lynn felt like a scapegoat.

Brisbane Heat had endured a disastrous BBL11 campaign, only finishing ahead of cellar dweller Melbourne Renegades thanks to a superior net run rate.

The Heat finished 11 points outside the finals spots and ultimately, something had to give.

Just, very few expected it to be the leading run scorer in BBL history not being offered a new contract.

It was a decision which sent shockwaves through Australian cricket and left many questioning whether Lynn, a man who helped put the BBL on the map, had played his last T20 game in Australia.

Lynn says he holds no grudges and has “well and truly moved on” from his dramatic Heat exit.

“Felt like I was … a scapegoat up there in Brisbane,” he said.

“Change is as good as a holiday as they say. When people doubt you and challenge you, you just bite down on your mouthguard and you say, ‘right, let’s go’.

“For me, it’s proving people wrong that you have still got plenty left in the tank. Not only that, it’s just enjoying your cricket too.

“It sucked leaving Brisbane but I needed that. I found my love for the game again and found a bit of form as well.”

Chris Lynn enjoyed plenty of success during his time as a Brisbane Heat player.

A bit of form is a significant understatement.

The 34-year-old has been one of the BBL’s most prolific batters since arriving in the City of Churches, clobbering 720 runs in his two seasons as an Adelaide Striker.

“I was signed up at the ILT20 tournament first and I was without a BBL contract,” he said.

“I was like, ‘you know what, it’s not the end of the world’. I was happy just with whatever.

“Then Dizzy (Jason) Gillespie and Tim Neilsen gave me an opportunity in Adelaide and I have never looked back.

That's six No.199 of Chris Lynn's BBL career...

What a shot. #BBL13pic.twitter.com/vLDXjIASDO

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 29, 2023

“One thing you learn out of that is to never take anything for granted. You just play what’s in front of you.

“Never doubt yourself, for one. But never lose sight of the fact that if you want it to work, you put your heard down and make it work.

“You don’t just ride your luck and see what happens, you get in and do the work.”

Lynn embraces Peter Siddle before making his Strikers debut in 2022.

Lynn has enjoyed two prolific campaigns as a Striker.

Lynn has become an integral part of the Strikers’ top-order, well and truly silencing the doubters who thought his best was behind him after a lean BBL11 campaign with Brisbane.

Lynn has featured for an incredible 34 teams during a career which started in Queensland but has taken in stints in the Middle East, Canada, India, Pakistan and the Caribbean.

But, ahead of his third campaign as a Striker, he said he had enjoyed making Adelaide his second home.

Impeccable timing on the late cut, Chris Lynn! 😍 #BBL13pic.twitter.com/CSSKyTVTIi

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 9, 2024

“I get to look over the Adelaide Oval from my apartment, don’t get in too much trouble down here,” he said.

“It’s easy for the family as well, you’re 15 minutes away from everywhere. Plus, you get to bat on the Adelaide Oval deck.”

Matt Short. D’Arcy Short. Ollie Pope. Chris Lynn.

Led by back-to-back BBL MVP Matt Short, the Strikers’ top-order promises to back an almighty punch in BBL14.

“There’s no room for second guessing yourself. Go out there, enjoy it, and the big thing is just don’t ever doubt yourself,” Lynn said.

“In a 10-game season, you’d like to think I come off at least twice off my own bat.

“If I do that and the other top-four do it then you’re well on your way to making finals.”

Chris Lynn goes big against the Renegades.

Throw in West Indian livewire Fabian Allen, English all-rounder Jamie Overton and Australian Test players Travis Head and Alex Carey from mid-January and there will be more fireworks than during the Strikers’ annual New Year’s Eve fixture.

“I think the biggest thing is, you’ve got to live by the sword you’ve got to die by the sword. We might make 200. We might get bowled out for 80,” Lynn said.

“But I tell you what, we are going to be entertaining.”

The Strikers – who will be led by new coach Tim Paine for the first time – open their campaign on Tuesday night against Sydney Thunder.

Originally published as BBL14: Chris Lynn on Matt Short’s BBL dominance ahead of Strikers opening match