‘Embarrassed’ Lynn apologises to Heat supporters

Brisbane Heat captain Chris Lynn issued a post-match apology to the club's fans after his side slumped to an abject 40-run defeat to the Perth Scorchers in front of a record crowd at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast.

The ever-candid Lynn said he was "truly embarrassed" by the defeat, which at one point saw the hosts collapse to 7-51 in pursuit of 150, with only a last-wicket stand of 30 adding a touch of respectability to the scoreline. 

It was the Heat's third defeat from four matches in this KFC BBL campaign and their fourth from as many matches on the Gold Coast. 

"I'll firstly start with apologising to the Brisbane Heat fans around the country; for me personally I'm truly embarrassed by that batting performance," Lynn told Channel Seven. 

"I think we bowled well and we were in a position to win that game but losing wickets every over, a couple of times an over, it just wasn't good enough. 

"We're going to have to have a hard look at ourselves and rebound quickly because we've got Hobart in two days."

The Heat have fallen in their three home games in BBL|09 (one match at the Gabba, two at Metricon) while chasing targets, losing 28 of a possible 30 wickets and managing totals of just 143, 145 and 109. 

It is a far cry from the pre-season expectation surrounding the team, who acquired England gun Tom Banton for the first eight matches, and also boast the likes of Lynn and exciting young opener Max Bryant in their ranks. 

But without the presence of Test pair Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne to shore up their middle order, the side has been criticised for an apparent 'hit out or get out' mentality. 

"(The critics are) spot on – one hundred per cent," Lynn said. "The most disappointing thing is that the way we've been training, it was the complete opposite what we showed tonight.

"That's the disappointing thing; we're going out there and running down the wicket and missing balls, and (these are) blokes who normally stand deep in the crease, doing the complete opposite.

"Looking at some of those dismissals, we're so far away from the game, the boys can make plenty of excuses but it's simply not good enough. Again, I'm pretty embarrassed."

The Heat will have their batting stocks bolstered in mid-January with the return of Burns and the arrival of AB de Villiers, which will likely see Ben Cutting open in place of the exiting Banton. 

But Lynn cautioned against the brilliance of de Villiers serving as a one-man solution to the problems of the batting group. 

"We don't want to put too much pressure on AB," he said. "We want a couple of wins on the board.

"We can't just rely on AB coming to fix the job because the BBL teams are so strong, one bloke isn't going to win you the tournament.

"You're only one good week away from making the semis … so it's not time for panic but we do need to maybe change our preparation, or the batting line-up, or maybe give the guys a rocket."

The Heat next face the Hurricanes on Friday in Hobart, and Lynn suggested a reshuffle would be considered as they look to arrest their batting ailments. 

"We're going down to Hobart which we know is traditionally a great batting wicket," he said. "So do we give Maxy Bryant one more chance (opening), or do we slide him down and maybe get a right-hand/left-hand combination, because we know they've got (left-arm orthodox spinner) Clive Rose (bowling early)?

"So we'll work out our match-ups but I think it's more the intent … we don't mind if blokes are getting caught on the fence to their strength but when they're getting out to their weaknesses and the complete opposite of their plans, that's the part that truly pisses me off."