Australian soccer player Chris Lane smashed a record 72 unbeaten run to make his early exit from the Big Bash League useful as he led the Gulf Giants to the inaugural ILT20 title in the United Arab Emirates.
Lane was the leading scorer in the BBL when he left the Adelaide Strikers to go and collect a huge check in the new UAE competition, which has captured another top talent in the Big Bash in its first season.
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He had passed 30 only once in his previous seven innings for the Giants, but saved his personal best for the last, smashing nine fours and six in his 50-ball innings to chase a total of 147 runs set by the Desert Vipers with eight balls for reserve.
Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva plundered 55 (27) for the Vipers in the first innings, with the West Indies all-rounder finishing with figures of 3 to 19 from four to claim player of the match honours.
Last August, Lin became the first player to receive an NOC from Cricket Australia to play in the UAE despite being hotly sought after by BBL franchises.
That came when he signed with the Strikers, who allowed him to miss the last three games of the Big Bash to go and play in the UAE, with the best players receiving contracts of up to $650,000 for the five-week tournament.
The Strikers lost all three matches Lin did not play and he missed the finals, his return still being a top priority for the club.
“If we can find a way to make (re-signing Lane) work, we’ll definitely look to scout him, but there’s a lot of these leagues that come up every bloody day,” Strikers coach Jason Gillespie said last month.
“He’s been in constant touch with us…still checking in. I wish the boys all the best.
“He really loved his time with us.”
Lin is the leading scorer in BBL history with 3,421 runs in 113 matches.
— with NCA NewsWire
