Chris Lynn knows what he needs to do to get back in Australian colours, reveals Justin Langer
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After Chris Lynn voiced his concern over the selectors' lack of communication, coach Justin Langer has stated that Lynn knows what he needs to do to get back into the team. With the return of Steven Smith and David Warner, there has been a drastic change in the dynamics of the Australian team.
While all the teams are looking forward to the 2020 T20 World Cup down under, the players are also keen to seal a place in the World Cup side. The recent addition to this list of players is Chris Lynn, whom Aussie head coach Justin Langer has asked to dethrone one of Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steven Smith or Glenn Maxwell, through his performance, to cement his place in the national team.Â
The return of Smith and Warner has completely changed the dynamics of the Australian team, as players who were once front runners for a place in the team are now completely out of the squad. This has also been the case with both the top order batsmen D’Arcy Short and Chris Lynn. Lynn has been very vocal about his omission and was very disappointed in not receiving a phone call informing him so.Â
"Chris wasn't in the last T20 squad, he and I are crystal clear and it's not for public and he knows that," Langer told SEN Radio. "He and I are crystal clear why he wasn't in the World Cup squad and therefore the T20s leading up to that and he's got another really good opportunity [for the PM's XI and in the Big Bash].
"We know how dynamic he is, we know he has an unbelievable Big Bash record and I can't wait to see how he goes this Big Bash. But we were specific, when you've got openers like Dave Warner and Aaron Finch, we've got Steve Smith come back in and you've got Glenn Maxwell, it's really competitive and it should be in Australian cricket.
"It's so competitive and he's going to have to force one of those guys out and to do that you've got to perform. Not just domestically but also internationally, performance is crucial and I'm looking forward to seeing if he and other guys can force their way into the side."
More than the return of Smith and Warner, it's Lynn’s stats which is the real reason behind his omission. Lynn has scored at an underwhelming average of 19.40 in his last 18 T20I innings. Although Lynn has performed well in both BBL and IPL, it has still not been good enough to topple any of the top four of the Kangaroo’s batting line up.Â
Another issue with Lynn is that he has completely abandoned the Australian domestic circuit after he wasn’t picked up for the World Cup and all he does now is play in T20 leagues around the world. According to Langer, performing outside the Aussie domestic circuit doesn’t win selections easily and even then players like Chris Green and Dan Christian are posing stiff challenges.Â
To add to his ever-increasing owes is his shoulder issues, which has hampered his performance on the field and has clearly had a negative impact on his selection.Â
"It makes it more difficult there's no doubt about that," Langer said. "Traditionally, Australian selectors have always picked from straight out of the Australian domestic system but having said that we don't live in a traditional world anymore. I'm seeing guys, whether it's players or coaches, have opportunities whether it's in the new Hundred league or T20 competitions around the world.
"We're very aware where a lot of our guys are playing. There's a young guy, Chris Green, he's doing terrific things around the world, off-spin bowling, his numbers are outstanding. His name came up in the selection meeting, Dan Christian's name keeps coming up, the way he finishes a game he's a senior pro now.
"We keep an eye on it, all the cricket going on around the place, traditionally you wouldn't select outside our system but we don't live in a traditional world anymore, do we."
