This might be one bad break too many for Chris Lynn
Related Story: Lynnsanity takes over as Heat hitter the biggest BBL drawcardRelated Story: Lynn injured again, but Aussies take out Twenty20 tri-series
No one would deny that Chris Lynn has a talent for hitting a cricket ball long distances and sending crowds crazy — for the past five years or so, he has been one of the biggest drawcards for Australian cricket.
The problem is — and always has been — his body, and its inability to handle the rigours of his chosen game.
Chris Lynn's injury tale of woe
- Early 2011: Broken finger
- 2011/12: Hamstring strain
- November 2012: Ruptured testicle after being struck by pace delivery (surgery needed)
- 2014: Rotator cuff injury, left shoulder (surgery needed)
- 2015: Injured left shoulder in fielding drill
- 2017: (Left) shoulder reconstruction surgery
- 2017/18: Sore hamstring
- January 2018: Calf injury — missed ODI series
- February 2018: Dislocates right shoulder in T20I
Lynn is an extremely strong man, but the extensive list of injuries he has picked up over the years has been a point of frustration for him, the fans who love him, and the teams he plays with.
The latest bad break came in Wednesday night's T20 international between Australia and New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland where he suffered a shoulder dislocation diving to field a ball.
When Lynn arrived back in Brisbane late on Thursday with his arm in a sling, he had little information for the waiting media.
"It's quite tender but it hasn't even been 48 hours yet, it hasn't even been 24 hours [actually] so I'm quite frustrated and angry, annoyed, you know, all of the above," he said.
"It's not ideal, but [I've got to] cop it on the chin and try and move forward.
"I'm missing out on the PSL, but to get back to the IPL would be ideal … see how we go."
The news on Friday was better though — Lynn will not need surgery on the shoulder, and the IPL and even an Australian ODI series in June are very much still on the cards.
Don't forget, he's played in all white too
It's hard to remember that Lynn has a 250 to his name in Sheffield Shield — against Victoria in 2014-15 — so he has had an ability to perform in the longer game.
But even before his struggles with injury led to him handing back a contract with Queensland last year, he was already largely focused on short-form cricket.
T20 is a natural fit for Lynn. His hard-hitting style involves more risk than most, but the rewards are bigger too.
It is for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League that Lynn really made his reputation, creating the #Lynnsanity phenomenon and drawing big TV audiences with his attacking play.
His overall numbers — 48 innings, 1,560 runs at an average of 43.33, with 12 50s and one century — show his worth.
But in the most recent season of BBL, Lynn was limited to five games and 148 runs at an average of 37.
His injuries have also limited his ability to play in IPL — the biggest market in T20 cricket — but his record there is still strong.
Over several years he has played 12 matches, for 384 runs at an average of 38.4, a strike rate of just over 158, and a top-score of 93 not out.
It's clear that teams in the IPL are willing to take a chance on the potential for injury when balanced against his hitting prowess.
At the most recent IPL auction, the Kolkata Knight Riders paid $1.86 million for Lynn's services — more than for any other Australian, including Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, or specialist bowler Andrew Tye.
So where does he go from here?
The shoulder he injured wasn't even the one that was giving him trouble for years — indeed, there have been suggestions he may have been trying to protect his dodgy left shoulder when he landed awkwardly on his right one at Eden Park.
The injury already means he will miss the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), the Pakistan Super League and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
The IPL kicks off on April 7, (April 8 in Australia) and the season runs until May 27.
Friday's positive diagnosis will come as a fillip for his IPL hopes, but it remains to be seen how strong his shoulder will be at the point, and how much faith he will have in it.
The real questions are: what can Chris Lynn do to maximise what he can get from his body in the remainder of his career, and will there come a time where teams stop taking a chance on a gifted player who can't seem to stay on the park?
Everyone is hoping he can return and start building some form without further injuries to slow him down.
The growing concern, however, is that his ongoing struggles with injury may mean that Australian cricket misses out on the best of Chris Lynn.
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ABC .net
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