Brisbane Heat 4 for 209 (Lynn 94, Renshaw 60*, Manenti 2-38) beat Sydney Sixers 7 for 161 (Vince 39, Swepson 2-27) by 48 runs
Chris Lynn kickstarted the Brisbane Heat's BBL campaign with a ferocious display of hitting against the Sydney Sixers at the SCG, falling just short of setting a new record for the competition's fastest century. His 94 off 35 balls, including 11 sixes, set the Heat up for a huge total, which they comfortably defended to get their points tally up and running.
After defeats in their opening two matches, there were already mutterings about whether the Heat were too one-dimensional by putting all their eggs in the basket of the power-packed top three and the knowledge that AB de Villiers would be arriving next month. Lynn's pyrotechnics were supplemented by a measured, mature innings from Matt Renshaw, which meant the platform for a total over 200 wasn't wasted, although it needed a big final over to ensure the milestone was breached as the Sixers regained some composure after Lynn's departure.
The Sixers' chase never got the momentum it needed to challenge a steep target of 210 with Zahir Khan proving especially difficult for them to pick. After their opening victory, it has now been two defeats on the bounce for them.
Lynn tees off
Missing Tom Banton because of illness, the Heat needed someone in the top order to stand up. It had been a bit of a false start to the tournament for Lynn with scores of 9 and 6 in the opening two games, but there were early signs he would put that right on the day. His first boundary was a thunderous straight six off Sean Abbott, and his second, a huge pull, landed in the second tier of the stand over deep square-leg. His partners were mere bystanders - Sam Heazlett contributed 7 to the second-wicket stand of 84 - as he put the Sixers attack to the sword with immense power, the crack of his bat reverberating around the stadium with the Heat making 1 for 73 in the powerplay.
His half-century came off 20 balls and he continued to lay waste to the bowlers, taking Lloyd Pope for three sixes and then lifting his tally to 11 - the equal highest in a BBL innings - with consecutive lofted drives off Ben Manenti. However, attempting his third in a row, which would have given him the fastest BBL century, he picked out mid-on to bring the entertainment to an end. It meant that Craig Simmons' record of a century in 39 balls for Perth Scorchers in 2014 still stood.
"Not a bad nock by lynny thought I may have to come out if retirement if that last one cleared the rope," Simmons tweeted moments after the dismissal.
Not a bad nock by lynny thought I may have to come out if retirement if that last one cleared the rope @7Cricket
— craig simmons (@craigsimmons13) December 22, 2019
Lynn's innings was over before the halfway mark, but given he twice came close to a century in the Abu Dhabi T10 last month, perhaps it shouldn't be much of a surprise. "It would have been nice to get triple figures, but saying that, I'm just happy to get double figures," Lynn told Channel Seven. "There was an opportunity to go really big."
Renshaw's undercard
Almost anything after the display from Lynn would have felt like a comedown, and the second half of the Heat innings was workmanlike without being extraordinary. Jimmy Peirson made a slightly curious run-a-ball 25 - in a 56-run stand with Renshaw that took 46 balls - which meant Ben Cutting did not come in until very late. However, Renshaw produced an excellent hand to take the total over 200. He lifted himself from 21 off 21 balls to finish with 60 off 39 - his second T20 fifty - as he took 18 off the last over from Tom Curran, whose 0 for 52 were his second-most expensive T20 figures. Still, the pre-Lynn and post-Lynn innings split was 113 to 96.
Sixers stutter
Chasing over 200, a side needs a lot of things to go their way or there to be one outstanding innings. The Sixers' run chase could never get a foothold with Renshaw's good evening continuing when he removed Daniel Hughes second ball, and Josh Philippe struggling to get his innings going. Philippe had 11 off 17 balls - including six dots against the left-arm wristspin of Zahir - at the end of the powerplay, by when the Sixers were 1 for 43 and leaning heavily on James Vince. Zahir went on to win the battle with Philippe comprehensively, having him stumped for 15 off 23 balls, an innings that will have been another learning experience. When Vince fell in the following over, swiping Mitchell Swepson to the deep, it required two new batsmen to get going and the asking rate was only going one way.
