Hampshire have turned to two familiar Antipodean faces – Chris Lynn and Hilton Cartwright – for the closing stretch of the Vitality Blast, hoping fresh muscle with the bat can keep their title defence alive.
The pair step in for Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis, who have headed off for South Africa’s Test tour of Zimbabwe. Tilak Varma stays on county-championship duty only, the BCCI sticking to its usual no-objection-certificate stance for Indian players in overseas T20 leagues.
Lynn’s record almost sells itself. The big Queenslander is the leading run-scorer in Australia’s BBL and, during two previous Blast stints with Northamptonshire, averaged 44 with three hundreds. He actually knows the south coast from way back, having spent a winter playing for Gosport Borough.
“It’s great to return to Hampshire, this time as a pro; I had a brilliant time playing club cricket in the county a while ago now,” Lynn said. “The Hawks are a hugely successful side and hopefully I can play a big part in the second half of the Blast to take the team to Finals Day.”
Cartwright, 33, brings his own scrapbook of English experience: one summer with Middlesex, another with Derbyshire, plus the Hundred for Oval Invincibles.
“It’s great to sign for the Hawks for the back end of the Blast and join up with Chris Lynn,” he said. “I’ve had some great battles with him on the cricket field. I hope I can make this stint a memorable one and get the team in a great spot to get to Finals Day come September.”
Right now Hampshire sit sixth in the South Group – outside the qualifying places but only two points off fourth, with six matches to play. Brevis and Pretorius chipped in handily, both striking at over 140, yet the usually reliable James Vince has 193 runs in eight knocks, a touch below his lofty standards. A couple of Lynn half-volleys disappearing over long-on could change the mood in a hurry.
Director of cricket Giles White kept it simple: “We are delighted to have Chris with us for the back half of the Blast. We’ve got some important games ahead of us and his experience and explosive batting gives us a big boost… It’s great to welcome Hilton to the club for the remaining Blast games. He’s a dynamic cricketer and will be a great addition to the team as we push for the knockout stages.”
With Finals Day two months out and the table tight, Hampshire’s margin for error is slender. Still, add Lynn’s straight-forward power and Cartwright’s middle-order versatility to a bowling unit that tends to keep games in range, and the path to a record fourth title doesn’t feel impossible – just hard work, which is pretty much how most campaigns are won.
