Chris Lynn will wear Northamptonshire colours again in this season’s Vitality Blast after a late switch in the club’s overseas plans. The Australian opener, who spent the previous campaign with Hampshire, comes in after South Africa’s Matthew Breetzke withdrew because of IPL and national-team duties.
Northants know exactly what they are getting. Lynn piled up three hundreds during his 2022-23 stint at Wantage Road, then returned last July to hammer 108 not out for Hampshire on Finals Day – the innings that bundled his old side out in the semi-final. Head coach Darren Lehmann admitted last August he had tried to bring Lynn back, and this time the paperwork has landed in good time.
The club explained the reshuffle in a short note on Tuesday: “It has been decided that having an overseas player with full availability in the T20 Blast will be more beneficial to the team as we look to push towards another Finals Day appearance.” In a competition squeezed into six weeks, continuity can be worth as much as a spare bowler.
Lehmann expanded on the thinking. “We would’ve loved to have seen Matt back but being able to have an overseas player with us throughout the whole tournament will hopefully help us keep a good rhythm and settled squad. We’re all wishing him the best for the rest of the year,” he said. Turning to Lynn, Lehmann added: “We all know the class that Lynny will bring to the side. He’s had a lot of success here and we’re hoping for more of the same this summer. His power and ball-striking is second to none, and he has the ability to take control of games very quickly.”
At 35, Lynn is no longer a travelling franchise regular, yet his strike-rate of 159 in English domestic T20 cricket still commands respect. The Blast’s larger out-grounds, where short straight boundaries tempt mishits, suit his uncomplicated hitting.
Northants have already strengthened elsewhere. Queensland batter Nathan McSweeney was announced in October on an all-formats contract, Louis Kimber arrives from Leicestershire, and leg-spinner Calvin Harrison’s loan from Nottinghamshire is now permanent. Off the field, Glen Chapple has joined as assistant coach, offering the sort of seam-bowling nous that served Lancashire so well for a decade.
One unresolved piece involves Ravi Bopara. The 39-year-old rolled back the years with a quarter-final century against Surrey but his one-year deal has expired. Negotiations continue, although neither side is rushing – a familiar dance at this stage of the winter.
On paper, Northants look deeper than they were 12 months ago. The trick, as ever, will be translating that depth into points before the middle of June, when the Blast group stage winds up. Lynn’s full availability offers a head start; the rest is down to the collective.
