"I try and keep things very simple, it's as simple as see ball, hit ball,” said Chris Lynn after demolishing Gujarat Lions with an unbeaten 41-ball 93, chasing 184. “If they bowl a good ball, you've got to respect that and try and get down at the other end and if they bowl a bad ball, you've to try and put it away.”
It is that simple when a batter is high on confidence. Doubts don’t disturb focus; concentration comes easily. The bowler, the pitch, the line, the length, they’ll all matter; but won’t be of concern.
Lynn, before packing his bags to join the Kolkata Knight Riders, had scored 309 runs for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League, averaging over 154, with a strike rate more than 177.
KKR even altered last season’s successful opening combination (Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir made 566 runs at 37.73) to make Lynn bat at the top with Gambhir.
“...[T]eams are going to watch the footage and work a plan out and I'm going to have to try and throw a punch back and go one better, that's part of the game but it's great fun while we're doing it,” said Lynn after the match.
To get rid of him early is essential. And, to do that, Mumbai might bring in Mitchell Johnson for Mitchell McClenaghan. The latter, against Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) on Thursday, was short and wide and gave away 36 runs. McClenaghan’s pace wasn’t great either; he never crossed 140 kmph. The other Mitchell would do better, considering he finished fourth in the Big Bash League leading wicket-takers list and had the best economy rate among the top-10.
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