Peter Siddle has warned Strikers fans to bring some extra protective equipment this season, with new recruit Chris Lynn tipped to send the white ball flying in his first BBL campaign with Adelaide.
There were concerns Lynn would be lost to the BBL after the franchise player left the Heat after 11 seasons, but the T20 superstar is staying in Australia to help the Strikers go deeper after their dramatic finals exit last season.
Lynn has dominated across the world in all kinds of T20 tournaments, but the veteran has done the most damage in the BBL where he’s scored the most runs (3005) and hit the most sixes (180) in competition history.
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Australia wrap up series against Windies | 02:55
While he is coming off a season where he had his worst strike rate in 11 years, Lynn’s ability to clear the ropes is unrivalled and he should take a liking to the generous boundaries square of the wicket at the Adelaide Oval.
With so many competitions nowadays, there were genuine fears that Lynn could have been tempted by more money overseas, but Strikers teammate Peter Siddle said it would have been a travesty for the BBL to lose someone like him.
“He’s probably been the greatest batsman in the history of the Big Bash in terms of runs and sixes,” Siddle told the NCA NewsWire.
“To lose someone like that who is still at the peak of his form would’ve been terrible. We’ve seen in the UAE just recently in the T10 how dominant he still is, so it’s obvious we still need him around in the Big Bash.
“He’s one of my good mates and I’ve played a lot of cricket against him. To be able to walk on the field with him after playing so many games against each other is going to be terrific because we know how good he‘s been in the Big Bash for so long.
“Adelaide Oval is going to suit him. The dimensions of the ground definitely aren’t big enough to contain him, so I’m looking forward to him firing.”
Lynn’s arrival will provide added firepower to a Strikers side that already has plenty of weapons, including T20 specialist Rashid Khan.
And while Khan’s spin will be key to their chances, Siddle looms as the real threat after tying the BBL record for most wickets in a season when he took 30 scalps last year.
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Australia wrap up series against Windies | 02:55
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There was a view not that long ago that Siddle wasn’t suited to this type of cricket, but he’s made the doubters look silly without having to change his game.
The veteran officially re-signed two weeks ago even though the deal was done during last season’s finals, and the 38-year-old says he’s as hungry as ever even if he’s down to 5-10 bananas a day.
“I just love the game,” said Siddle, who has had a brilliant start to the Sheffield Shield season.
“Once I retired from Test cricket, I still wanted to play because I still enjoy it. Once you lose that stress of getting selected at international level, it just comes down to enjoying the game as if I’m a young kid.
“It’s funny because I might be older but I feel like I’m 12 every time I go out there now.
“The key to my game has always been consistency and execution, no matter what form of cricket it is. I’ve always been good at executing the delivery that I wanted to bowl, so all it took was a bit more training for those skills you need in T20 cricket.
“Once I got them, it’s like riding a bike. Luckily enough, everything is still working. I don’t have too many tricks, but the ones I’ve got work well for me.”
