Coach Darren Lehmann is in talks with Chris Lynn about his prospects as Brisbane Heat captain and signaled the possibility of Jimmy Peirson coming in as full-time skipper next season.
Lynn guided the Heat to a third-place finish in BBL|10, as it is the second time the club made the finals in the past eight years. Peirson also fascinated as a fill-in captain when Lynn was out due to injury and Lehmann suggested he would ask the right-hander later in the year about taking a step back.
"They've both done a great job, so we'll sit down and talk about that closer to the season and see where he sits," Lehmann said on Thursday after he was handed a one-year contract extension as quoted by cricket.com.au.
"If he continues, that's great. If he decides to stand aside and we go with someone like Jimmy or someone else, that's great as well. "We're not so stressed on that front at the moment. It's a case of him deciding where he wants to go and where he wants to take his career. "We love him, the fans love him and he's a really important part of the Brisbane Heat."
The Heat began the season under Lynn's leadership with poor performance in the opening two games of BBL|10. But their fate changed when the captain injured his hamstring and Peirson took over. They won three of its five games under the gloveman's guidance and their two losses in that time were by margins of just one and two runs.
However, when Lynn returned in January, he finished as the tournament's fourth-highest run-scorer! He led the Heat to the finals and defeated both the Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder in the knockout stage.
Peirson's impressive form with the bat last season and his proven leadership means he stands a chance to replace Lynn as the captain. "I think (Lynn has) grown into the (leadership) role well," Lehmann said.
"He's had some good guidance along the way. He did a really good job - he was out injured and then came back in, and Jimmy did a great job.
"We're lucky enough to have some really good leaders around the place so whoever does the job will do it well and they'll have the support either way." Earlier this week, Queensland coach Wade Seccombe said Peirson's records as a wicketkeeper-batter should make him an option as Tim Paine's possible successor as Test gloveman.
"The thing that does frustrate me a little bit is that lack of conversation around Jimmy Peirson," Seccombe said. "If we are picking (the next) 'keeper, he is the 'keeper. He averaged around 50 this season and is