Lynn in firing line for Heat as club faces roster rebuild

Brisbane Heat captain Jimmy Peirson admits hard questions need to be asked of their roster with cult hero Chris Lynn among those off contract.

The Heat slumped to their sixth straight loss to end the KFC BBL season on Wednesday, with a 27-run loss to the Sydney Sixers at the Gabba.

The result ensured the Sixers finish second, guaranteeing one more game at the SCG next week with a potential home grand final if they beat Perth on Sunday at Marvel Stadium.

But it also added to the Heat's woes, and they narrowly avoided the wooden spoon with a season that included just three wins.

The Heat endured two games without the bulk of their squad through COVID-19, but Peirson conceded it was not an excuse and changes were needed in their batting ranks.

"I was really pleased with our bowling this year, we have some really impactful players that we can look to keep and re-sign," Peirson said

"Obviously when the team isn't scoring runs, you need to ask if you've got the right people in the right positions.

"But those questions will be asked, the powers to be will make those decisions.

"We'll get our recruiting started and make sure we have the right people in the right positions come next year and win some games."

Brisbane's issues were summed up by the fact they fell to 4-43 in their pursuit of the Sixers' 6-178 at the Gabba on Wednesday, before finishing at 8-151.

Lynn's future is a talking point at Brisbane.

He passed 3000 career runs in the BBL on his way to making 19 before slapping uppishly to cover, a familiar scene in a season in which he's passed 32 just once in 12 innings.

The slump is a far cry from the form he was in, despite a host of injury setbacks, when he signed a rich, five-year deal that expires this season.

The loyal Heat servant, replaced as captain by Peirson this season, could find himself seeking a new home for BBL|12. Another option might be to follow the footsteps of Tasmanian James Faulkner who, after falling out with the Hobart Hurricanes, quit the BBL but continues to tour the international T20 circuit.

Lynn became the competition’s biggest star in a stunning 12-game stint across BBL|05 and BBL|06 when he slammed 687 runs at a strike rate of 175, form that launched him onto the international stage and won him the lucrative five-year deal with the Heat.

He’s since dropped out of the national set-up and while he’s remained one of the competition’s most exciting players at his best, he’s been unable to replicate that stunning form.

Lynn's exit after a bright start was followed by that of Marnus Labuschagne for just three, while the returning Nathan Lyon found Sam Heazlett's edge to make it 4-43.

Peirson (42 off 23) and Max Bryant (56 off 55) combined to put some pressure back on the Sixers, Bryant notching back-to-back BBL half-centuries for the first time.

The jig was up though when the captain holed out to the miserly Stephen O'Keefe (1-21 off four), leaving them 51 to get off 19 balls before Bryant followed soon after.

Hayden Kerr (3-23) took his tournament tally to 22 wickets, one shy of leading wicket-taker Peter Siddle.

Boom or bust: Lynn's recent Big Bash record

BBL|11

Inn 12 | Runs 215 | Strike Rate 125.00 | HS 57 | Avg 17.91 | Sixes 8

BBL|10

Inn 13 | Runs 458 | Strike Rate 154.72 | HS 69| Avg 35.23 | Sixes 26

BBL|09

Inn 14 | Runs 387 | Strike Rate 148.84 | HS 94| Avg 29.76 | Sixes 23

BBL|08

Inn 13 | Runs 385| Strike Rate 126.22 | HS 84| Avg 35.00| Sixes 21

BBL|07

Inn 5 | Runs 148 | Strike Rate 162.63 | HS 63* | Avg 37.00 | Sixes 8

Brisbane Heat's off-contract players: Tom Abell (ENG), Tom Cooper, Ben Duckett (ENG), Marnus Labuschagne, Chris Lynn, Jimmy Peirson, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Mark Steketee, Connor Sully, Matthew Willans. Coach Wade Seccombe.

Brisbane Heat players still contracted: (all with one more year remaining unless specified) Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Michael Neser (two years), Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth.