BBL Finals: Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat, Chris Lynn fired

The Heat was the Big Bash surprise package, advancing into Thursday’s Challenger Finals against the Sydney Sixers for the right to face the Perth Scorchers in the competition finals.

On the face of it, it justifies the Heat’s decision not to offer Lynn a new contract to join the Heat after his five-year, $1 million contract expired last season.

But Lynn also had a kind of justification for his talents.

He joined the Adelaide Strikers and the move seemed refreshing as he sits fourth on the competition’s run scorers list with 416 and a batting average of 141 from just 11 games played before leaving to play in another Tournament to play for the Gulf Giants Dubai.

Heat chairman Ian Healy said he and Queensland Cricket boss Terry Svenson had received congratulatory texts from Lynn following Brisbane’s shock revival.

“He sent us a nice text message to congratulate us on getting this far in this tournament,” Healy said.

“I don’t know if (Lynn’s departure) worked out so well for us. My feeling is that a lot of players let Lynny down. They haven’t done enough around him, but they’re doing it this year.

“I suppose it (reaching the final) justifies the move but maybe it was a mental shift for our young players to get going. I always hoped it would turn out well for him.”

Brisbane will be without Indian tourists Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Swepson and Matt Renshaw in the final while batsmen Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett and Nathan McSweeney await promotion.

Khawaja’s absence will be clearly felt in the high-pressure atmosphere of an elimination, as his talent for creating a calm atmosphere on the field was seen as a key factor in reviving the Heat.

Contest organizers are embarrassed that the Heat will lose a third of their team in the final week of the Big Bash, but that issue will be addressed when the next television rights deal begins in two years and includes a shorter Big Bash season.

Despite missing their four caps, the Heat still have their trusty swingman Michael Neser, who is third on the list of wicket-takers in a competition with 24 casualties for the season.

Neser has been left out of the Indian Test touring squad, a decision Australia may regret as Cameron Green struggles to prove his fitness through a broken finger.

Australia, who find it difficult to find the right balance when Green is shut out, could have fielded Neser as a possible bowling all-rounder, batting at 7th.

Originally released as BBL Finals: Chris Lynn’s message to ex-club Brisbane Heat ahead of challengers vs Sydney Sixers