Over the years, many talented batsmen have graced the Big Bash League (BBL), but it is fair to say that no one has dominated it quite like Queensland opener Chris Lynn. Lynn is also the only player to rack up in excess of 3000 BBL runs, in addition to smashing the most number of sixes (180).
Former Australian ODI skipper Aaron Finch is at the 2nd spot in the all-time run-scoring list. The Melbourne Renegades cricketer has scored 2817 runs in 86 innings at an average of 34.77 and a strike rate of 134.01 with 2 100s.
10. Ben McDermott
Ben McDermott is the son of Australian fast bowling great Craig McDermott and younger brother of Alister McDermott. Unlike those two who were bowlers, Ben decided to take a different path. He took that call at a very young age. Ben McDermott is a top-order right-handed batsman and a part-time wicketkeeper. Ben found domestic cricket tough in his initial days with Queensland Bulls and in 2014 he inked a rookie deal with Tasmanian.
9. Matthew Wade
The son of former Hawthorn player Scott Wade and cousin of AFL player Jeremy Howe, Matthew Wade was also a talented footballer growing up in Tasmania before he moved to Victoria to further his cricket career.
Having overcome testicular cancer when he was just 16, the wicketkeeper batsman arrived in Victoria with a fresh perspective on life and within two seasons he had established himself as the first-choice wicketkeeper.
8. Marcus Stoinis
Debuting for his home state of Western Australia as a 19-year-old, Marcus Stoinis eventually moved to Victoria in 2012 seeking more opportunities as a young cricketer. The allrounder didn’t take long to make his mark in the Sheffield Shield, with a breathtaking 170 against Tasmania in the 2013-14 season, followed by topping the run-scorers’ list for his state in 2014-15.
Within a year, Stoinis made his ODI & T20I debuts before being left out for nearly a year and a half from both formats.
7. Moises Henriques
Born in Portugal, Moises Henriques is one of the NSW Blues most senior players having made his State debut back in the summer of 2005/06. He first played for Australia in 2009 when he was selected as an injury replacement for Australia’s One Day tour of India, while he also represented his country in T20 cricket later that same year.
Henriques’ opportunity at Test level didn’t come until 2013 when he was chosen for the series against India on the subcontinent.
6. Shaun Marsh
His debuts in both ODIs and Tests were hugely impressive too – his 81 in the shorter format against West Indies earned him a Man of the Match award while his maiden Test saw him score a fine 141 against Sri Lanka. Some remarkable Test knocks followed alongside some inconsistent form which meant the left-hander struggled to nail down a permanent spot in Australia’s Test squad.
5. D’Arcy Short
Northern Territory allrounder D’Arcy Short exploded into the national consciousness with a breakout season in BBL|07 in the 2017-18 summer.
He moved from Darwin to Perth to chase a professional career, but after a List A debut in 2011, he did not represent Western Australia again for another five years years before injuries opened the door for him in the 2016 one-day cup.
4. Jonathan Wells
Compact opening-batsman, Jonathan Wells got his first taste of first-class cricket in 2008-09, making scores of 98 against Victoria and 85 against New South Wales. But he failed to secure a permanent place in a Tasmania batting order brimming with talent and was often forced to ply his trade in second XI and grade cricket.
His grade form for Clarence in 2013-14 earned him the Player of the Year Award while he also became a regular member of the Hobart Hurricanes side in the Big Bash League, batting in the middle order.
3. Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell’s all-out assault on Hobart has netted him and the Melbourne Stars the highest scores in BBL history, handing the Hurricanes a reality check with a 106-run hammering on the eve of the finals.
Maxwell thumped an unbeaten 154 from 64 balls at the MCG, smashing 22 boundaries and four sixes in the most brutal display of hitting in the competition’s history.
2. Aaron Finch
A regular in Australia’s ODI and T20I teams for many years, Aaron Finch will go down as one of Australia’s greatest and most influential white ball players ever. Born in Colac, Victoria, Finch made headlines around the world in 2013 with a then record-breaking 156 from just 63 balls (including 14 sixes) against England in just his seventh T20 International for Australia.
1. Chris Lynn
Playing in just his second Sheffield Shield match in 2010, a 19-year-old Chris Lynn gave an insight into his impressive ability by hitting 139 out of Queensland’s total of 285, becoming the fourth youngest player behind Andrew Symonds, Jimmy Maher and Martin Love to score a century for the Bulls.
Despite the bright start, Lynn’s career has been crippled by a series of long-term injuries, meaning early talk of Test cricket has stalled. He finally made his international debut in 2014