Lynn rains sixes ahead of Big Bash return

Heat blaster Chris Lynn has offered an emphatic indication he will be fit and firing for his side's do-or-die KFC BBL clash with the Melbourne Renegades on Saturday night, striking a stunning 83 from 28 balls in a practice match in Brisbane today.

Playing against a Queensland Premier Cricket T20 selection in a pair of practice matches at the University of Queensland in St Lucia, Lynn warmed up with 37 from 22 in the morning before switching gears in the afternoon, blazing 11 sixes in total in what was a timely reminder of his unparalleled power hitting.

In his second knock, eight of the first 16 balls he faced were deposited over the boundary. 

The Heat have badly missed Lynn in their past two outings, suffering defeats to the Sydney Sixers and Hobart Hurricanes which have put them at risk of missing the finals after a strong start to the tournament.

But the return of the injury-plagued opener, who looks to have shaken off a calf injury, could well have come at the perfect time for Brendon McCullum's side.

"It was good. I was quite nervous but I got through, banged a couple out of the middle and put those nerves to the side," Lynn told media after the morning hit-out.

"I was probably more nervous fielding than anything, but I got through it alright.

"I was a little bit apprehensive (about the calf) but I was always going to be second session back. But I got through it and now I can taper off for Saturday's game.

"I'm saying I'm good (to play) but it's medical staff who (I) have to prove it (to) as well, but I'm pretty confident I'll be right for the sellout game on Saturday night."

Lynn was selected for Australia's ODI series against England despite spending little time in the middle following a shoulder reconstruction, but the calf injury again restricted him to the sidelines.

National selectors have continued showing belief in the 27-year-old, however, selecting him in Australia's T20I squad for the tri-series against England and New Zealand that begins on February 3.

Lynn said that with a long-term perspective, his forced withdrawal from the ODI series may not have been a bad thing.

"If I'm brutally honest I probably wasn't ready to play one-day cricket, but I might have been in the squad just to play two or three of (those matches)," he said.

"It might have been a blessing in disguise coming back from that long-term injury that I did miss one or two weeks rather than sitting out six or seven weeks if I did fatigue in a 50-over game.

"But they've shown faith in me by selecting me again, so hopefully I can reward them.

"Having that long lay-off with the shoulder, I think there was always going to be some little niggling injury.

"It has happened but the positive thing is they're not long-term injuries, so I can put them to bed and as long as my shoulder's alright, I'm actually pretty confident."

Lynn has had four hit-outs in this Big Bash campaign with the Heat, making 25, 0, 63no and 39. In the last of those innings he hit his 100th six in the tournament, becoming the first player to do so.

Other Big Bash results in the lead-up to Saturday night's Heat-Renegades clash will help both teams determine what they need to do in order to reach the final four; the Renegades play the Thunder tonight in Canberra and could move into the box seat on 10 points – two ahead of the Heat – with a win, meaning the Brisbane franchise would need to factor net run-rate into their calculations.

"Hopefully I can play a role for the Heat in making the semi-finals," Lynn added. "We are the last game, which is a good thing – we'll know what we have to do.

"We'll sum that up and we have to adapt to whatever scenario is in front of us, and I'm pretty confident we can do that."