Legendary Australian Test batsman Mark Waugh has urged national selectors to show faith on big-hitter Chris Lynn and stick with him, saying the team management have to give him a bit of time if they think the batsman can help the one-day international team keeping in mind Word Cup 2019.
Waugh told Big Sports Breakfast on Wednesday (November 14), “You’ve got to back your players in some way, and Lynn is a hitter. If he gets 40 off 50 balls he sets us up and you’re away. He doesn’t have to get 100, he just has to get us off to a bit of a flyer when we’re chasing 300.
He added, “With any batsman like that you’ve got to give them a bit of time. We saw a big shot like that second ball of the innings (in the third match), it doesn’t matter who you are you’re going to make yourself vulnerable. He’s a good clean hitter of the ball but he’s got to give himself a bit more time.”
Lynn, who usually batted at the middle-order, was handed the responsibility to open the batting in the third and final ODI against South Africa, but he failed to live up with the expectations, out for a duck, eventually, Australia failed to chase a 321-run total to win the ODI series at home.
He doesn’t see Lynn as an ideal choice to open the batting for Australia, saying the national side can take advantage of him at number three. Waugh added, “It’s a tough one. There’s about three or four batsmen who we look at and say what’s their best position? Because they’re just not nailing their chances when they get them. I think he’s probably a number three. His advantage is when the field is up with only two men on the boundary he can hit a lot of boundaries, that’s his advantage early on”
Waugh signed off by saying, “It’s a mix and match. I can understand him opening in Hobart when we were chasing 320 ... I’m not sure whether that was the plan before South Africa got 320 or not. I think he’s versatile enough but he’s got to be a bit smarter. He’s got a few issues technically against really good bowling. He tends to get leg side of the ball and push the ball outside off stump, we saw that the other night.”
(With Foxsports Inputs)
