Former Gosport Borough overseas signing Chris Lynn is leading runscorer in T20 Vitality Blast

Back in 2008, the Australian - then just 18 - enjoyed a summer in Hampshire playing for Borough in the fourth tier of the Southern Premier League.

In one of his final games for Borough, he blitzed an unbeaten 136 against US Portsmouth at Privett Park.

He has since gone on to play for his country in both 20-over and 50-over formats, and established himself as a global T20 gun for hire as franchise cricket has continued to grow.

Lynn has played in the Indian Premier League, the Caribbean Super League and the Pakistan Super League.

He was also man of the series when Marasha Arabians won the 2019/20 T20 tournament in Abu Dhabi. Among his four half-centuries was an unbeaten 91 off just 30 balls against Team Abu Dhabi.

But before this year, Lynn had never been signed up by an English county for a T20 campaign.

That all changed when he agreed to join Northamptonshire Steelbacks, and his impact has been stunning.

Lynn has blitzed two centuries and two half-centuries in his six innings so far, and is top of the run charts with 379 at 94.75.

On June 1, he cracked an unbeaten 103 - 12 fours and three sixes - off 66 balls against Leicestershire.

Eight days later, he smashed nine sixes and eight fours in racing to 113 not out off 57 balls against Worcestershire.

Lynn has belted 81 more runs, in one fewer visit to the crease, than ex-Hampshire batter Rilee Roussow. Now at Somerset, the South African has struck 298 runs at 59.60.

And with a strike rate of 191.02, Rossouw has amassed his runs at a quicker rate than anyone else in the top 10 list of run makers.

Skipper James Vince is Hampshire’s leading scorer in the Vitality Blast so far, with 269 runs at 44.83 - putting him sixth overall.