Simon Katch: “He has to make a decision about how much cricket his body can withstand at this level”

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There has been a lot of debate over what course of action Australia batsman Chris Lynn should take following his latest injury setback.

Lynn dislocated his right shoulder while fielding during the T20 tri-series final against New Zealand in Auckland on Wednesday.

Lynn has been ruled out of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), but it is likely he will make a full recovery prior to the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he will play for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

“Chris has undergone scans which confirmed some of the expected signs of a shoulder dislocation including bleeding in the joint along with some cartilage and ligament damage,” Cricket Australia’s Sports Science Sports Medicine Manager Alex Kountouris said. “After consultation with a specialist, at this stage we have confirmed that Chris does not need to undergo stabilisation surgery on his shoulder.

“He will now undergo extensive rehabilitation to give us a better idea of how his shoulder will cope with return to normal function, with a view to being available to play in the IPL and the short-form series in the UK in June.

“We will have a better understanding of how possible this will be in a few weeks, once we know how he is responding to the rehabilitation.”

Ex-Australia cricketers Brendon Julian and Brad Hogg both said that the 27-year-old should be removed from the Twenty20 squad until he can prove his fitness.

However, former Australia opener Simon Katich believes that Lynn has to mull over the fact whether his body can handle the hardships of international cricket.

“He has to make a decision about how much cricket his body can withstand at this level,” Katich told Melbourne radio station SEN as quoted by cricket.com.au. “It’s not so much his batting, it’s his fielding.

“We’ve had numerous discussions about how he can try and protect himself in the field, obviously diving is a big concern given his history but that’s the nature of the game.

“When instincts take over and you feel like you’re letting your teammates down, he’s the sort of guy that doesn’t want to see one of his bowlers miss out and cost them a few runs. But ultimately it’s costing him in the long run.

“He’s going to have to have a think about that and we’ll be there to support him.”

Lynn has a history of problems with his left shoulder as he has undergone three surgeries in the last two years.

Following his most recent operation, Lynn made his long-awaited comeback at the recent Big Bash League (BBL), where he represented the Brisbane Heat.

However, Katich feels that the Brisbane native rushed his return, which led to him sustaining a calf injury that led to him missing the ODI series against England.

“He just wants to be out there and not just sit there watching,” Katich said. “He did the right things to try and get out onto the park, but unfortunately he pushed himself physically and did his calf, which set him back a bit.

“But there’s still six weeks before the IPL starts so hopefully … he can do the rehab and get back on the park, even if it is a couple of weeks late.

“We knew before the auction, we did a lot of planning on the players available and we knew he was going to be in hot demand. We know he’s got an injury history, but we saw last year how good he can make his teammates look in a competition like the IPL.

“He averaged just under 50 with the bat and struck at 185 (runs scored per 100 balls faced) and not many guys can do that. That’s why he’s such a valuable commodity in T20 because he’s such a powerful striker.

“He’s also great around the team environment and we were considering him to possibly be captain as well, given his influence around the group.

“Even last year when he was injured he spent a lot of time working with the young Indian players. He’s tough and I’m sure he’ll do everything he can to get back on the park.”