Nathan Lyon

Remove this Banner Ad

Caesar said:
This post makes no sense. Your main criticism seems to be that Lyon doesn't take wickets, but he took more wickets last year than any Test spinner bar Sri Lanka's duo of Herath and Perera.

Lyon's average and strike rate are mostly due to the fact that he plays on incredibly unhelpful wickets where he is required to bowl a large number of overs for the benefit of other bowlers in the team. Any other spinner you select in the side is going to have to perform the same role, so I am not sure what you expect to be different.

Australia generally doesn't have too much trouble taking 20 wickets on anything but the most unhelpful pitches. Lyon performs the job required of him extremely well, all things considered.
Click to expand...

Surely taking 3rd and 4th innings wickets is a major 'job requirement' of a frontline spinner? How much can we expect the quicks to to the damage at the other end all the time? We saw what happened in the middle east and India in unfavourable conditions for quicks - we got smashed cos the quicks were ineffective and Lyon was nonthreatening at best.
 
Hudu Gurusingha said:
Surely taking 3rd and 4th innings wickets is a major 'job requirement' of a frontline spinner? How much can we expect the quicks to to the damage at the other end all the time? We saw what happened in the middle east and India in unfavourable conditions for quicks - we got smashed cos the quicks were ineffective and Lyon was nonthreatening at best.
Click to expand...

Lyon did underperform massively in the UAE (I actually thought he did alright in India).

But it's harsh to criticise him based on this series.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

The_Reaper said:
But it's harsh to criticise him based on this series.
Click to expand...
Had a good game in Adelaide. Average for the rest of the games. That said, all three weren't friendly to anyone with a ball in their hand.

At the moment, he is our best test spinner. If Boyce can get some good Shield form, then maybe him. Until then, we go with Lyon.
 
Hudu Gurusingha said:
Our fast bowling battery is supreme and skilled enough to keep things tight, to allow a young leg-spinner to go about developing their craft. All that might be required is a holding spin bowler. Perhaps an Adam Voges? Voges has a superior first class bowling average and strike rate to Lyon. And you get the added bonus of having a quality batsman in the side.
Click to expand...

Wat?

You want to bring in a young leg spinner, and you want to bring in Adam Voges. Right.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you don't think Adam Voges - who is 35 and bowls left arm orthodox - is a young leg spinner, and you want him to take someone else's place in the side, presumably Shane Watson or Joe Burns/Mitch Marsh, so you can slot in some young leggie.

Putting aside any disruption that would cause to the top 6, Adam Voges has a FC bowling average of 34.7 at a strike rate of 66.5, which as you correctly point out is superior to that of Nathan Lyon (35.6 / 67.7). He has also played 149 FC matches and has taken the grand total of... 43 wickets. On average he bowls just over 3 overs per match and takes a wicket every 3 and a half matches - and you want him in the test team because of his bowling?
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Phone said:
(brad hogg averaged over 40 in first class cricket and near 55 in test cricket.)
Click to expand...

Brad Hogg scored nearly 4,000 runs @ 35 with 4 100s and 27 50s. He started out as a batsman before focusing more on his bowling and being more of a useful lower order batsman.

He is a fine limited overs bowler but he's a lot harder to score from than he is to defend so his success didn't translate at test level. When he got his chance after his excellent ODI form he wasn't helped by Ponting who had no idea whatsoever how to use him, mind.
 
Scotland said:
Is he bowling any worse now than he did then? A 44 year old Shane Warne would still cause a few headaches too, and he's more into sausage rolls than he is beating people 20 years younger in beep tests.
Click to expand...

Well based on his performances at the last two World T20s he's declined a lot
 
I don't like how he bowls, I don't like how he appeals, I don't like how inconsistent and mentally suspect he is.

In my opinion, the sooner he's replaced the better. With respect to him, the spot is his and someone needs to bowl their way in - but his performance in Adelaide shouldn't be buying him any time.

The wicket was in great shape for him today, as it was yesterday, but Ashwin took advantage of it and he didn't.

He'll take more wickets than other spinners because he always plays, rather than because he's a great bowler.

I'd like to see O'Keefe taken to the West Indies with Lyon and for the selectors to go back to the drawing board and pick for the Ashes on form.

Spin isn't that big a deal in England, but a good spinner can make a difference. Could that spin bowler be O'Keefe/Boyce/Agar?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top