I'll try to keep these stats up to date:
Player|O|E|B|M|R|W|E/R|S/R|R/W|R/I|W/I|Innings\
Lyon|361.7|0|2167| 44| 1217| 31| 3.37| 69.90| 39.26| 76.06| 1.94| 16\
O'Keefe| 184.2| 0| 1106| 38| 448| 22| 2.43| 50.27| 20.36| 64| 3.14| 7
3rd Test vs India
tl;dr
Lyon is overrated, his summer performance have been atrocious and has been completely out bowled by SOK the last 2 Australian tests. SOK's test stats back up his FC record, Lyons' don't. Lyon has been tonked for a ton of runs, often going wicketless and conceding 100+ in almost every innings. SOK has been tidy, efficient and sometimes very effective. Lyon should have been dropped after the 2nd SA test fiasco.
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There's a lot of debate over Nathan Lyon, and if it wasn't for SOKs indiscretions and fitness issues aside, Lyon may not even be in the test team.
You would all remember that after the Proteas debacle the call was put out to the FC players to find a replacement for underperforming players in the test side. A few deserved the chop (M.Marsh, Lyon, Burns, Mennie, Ferguson, Voges), while I think most would agree that Nevill was harshly and unfairly dealt with.
Lyon somehow survived the cull, but it wasn't with merit. His first innings performance was a bit s**t considering the overall bowling performance, but recovered in the 2nd innings to snare 3 wickets. Until the 3rd match, he'd taken just 2 wickets @ 120.5, a truly diabolical rate. He finished the series with 6/346, averaging just under 60, so not too bad, but for a primary bowler, still very ordinary.
And then Pakistan happened. While the Pakistanis almost pulled off a miracle win (what would have been the most embarrassing loss of all time for any team, anywhere in the history of test cricket), Lyon was on the end of the 'tonk' treatment. For the match he took 2/139 off 40 overs, just under 70. He improved in the 2nd match, taking 4/148, but 1/115 in the first innings, then finished off the series with 5/215, 100 or more in both innings.
The last match is the first time Lyon and O'Keefe bowled together for the 2016/17 summer. SOK took 4 @ 25.75, while Lyon took 5 @ 43. Has anything changed in India? No. Considering India scored bugger all (212), he still conceded a third of their runs. His stats are a lot better, 5 @ 14.8, but SOK took a ridiculous 12 @ 5.8, SOK's strike rate is also less than half of Lyons.
There was a robust argument here and in the media about whether or not Smith was using Lyon correctly. It was clear that Smith didn't have confidence in his ability to lock down an end, or to make the breakthrough. Lyon himself was lacking confidence in Australian conditions and seriously struggled. The fact that SOK playing his 2nd test averaged 25 and Lyon playing almost his 70th test averaged 43 in favourable conditions reflects the difference in confidence and ability of the two.
Is Lyon overrated? In my mind he is, and his career stats don't paint a great picture, certainly not of a strike bowler, but one that's struggled for consistency in between fantastic performances. There's been games when he's dominated and brought home the bacon, but far too many games when he's been hit to all corners, barely getting 2 or 3, but conceding almost half the oppositions score. Conceding 315 in a dead rubber is a pretty s**t performance. Even his best bowling figures in Australia is poor, 7/152 -consider that he was 1/100+ before India tried to slap him out of the park. At least he can console himself with his 7/94 against India in India, pretty good effort (@4/over), but still ultimately lost by 6 wickets, getting turkey slapped in the 2nd innings.
SOK vs Lyon bowling together
Economy rate: SOK
Strike rate: SOK
Average: SOK
Wickets: SOK
Man of the match: SOK
Lyon's career was saved by SOK not being ready in time, but only just.
Player|O|E|B|M|R|W|E/R|S/R|R/W|R/I|W/I|Innings\
Lyon|361.7|0|2167| 44| 1217| 31| 3.37| 69.90| 39.26| 76.06| 1.94| 16\
O'Keefe| 184.2| 0| 1106| 38| 448| 22| 2.43| 50.27| 20.36| 64| 3.14| 7
tl;dr
Lyon is overrated, his summer performance have been atrocious and has been completely out bowled by SOK the last 2 Australian tests. SOK's test stats back up his FC record, Lyons' don't. Lyon has been tonked for a ton of runs, often going wicketless and conceding 100+ in almost every innings. SOK has been tidy, efficient and sometimes very effective. Lyon should have been dropped after the 2nd SA test fiasco.
------------
There's a lot of debate over Nathan Lyon, and if it wasn't for SOKs indiscretions and fitness issues aside, Lyon may not even be in the test team.
You would all remember that after the Proteas debacle the call was put out to the FC players to find a replacement for underperforming players in the test side. A few deserved the chop (M.Marsh, Lyon, Burns, Mennie, Ferguson, Voges), while I think most would agree that Nevill was harshly and unfairly dealt with.
Lyon somehow survived the cull, but it wasn't with merit. His first innings performance was a bit s**t considering the overall bowling performance, but recovered in the 2nd innings to snare 3 wickets. Until the 3rd match, he'd taken just 2 wickets @ 120.5, a truly diabolical rate. He finished the series with 6/346, averaging just under 60, so not too bad, but for a primary bowler, still very ordinary.
And then Pakistan happened. While the Pakistanis almost pulled off a miracle win (what would have been the most embarrassing loss of all time for any team, anywhere in the history of test cricket), Lyon was on the end of the 'tonk' treatment. For the match he took 2/139 off 40 overs, just under 70. He improved in the 2nd match, taking 4/148, but 1/115 in the first innings, then finished off the series with 5/215, 100 or more in both innings.
The last match is the first time Lyon and O'Keefe bowled together for the 2016/17 summer. SOK took 4 @ 25.75, while Lyon took 5 @ 43. Has anything changed in India? No. Considering India scored bugger all (212), he still conceded a third of their runs. His stats are a lot better, 5 @ 14.8, but SOK took a ridiculous 12 @ 5.8, SOK's strike rate is also less than half of Lyons.
There was a robust argument here and in the media about whether or not Smith was using Lyon correctly. It was clear that Smith didn't have confidence in his ability to lock down an end, or to make the breakthrough. Lyon himself was lacking confidence in Australian conditions and seriously struggled. The fact that SOK playing his 2nd test averaged 25 and Lyon playing almost his 70th test averaged 43 in favourable conditions reflects the difference in confidence and ability of the two.
Is Lyon overrated? In my mind he is, and his career stats don't paint a great picture, certainly not of a strike bowler, but one that's struggled for consistency in between fantastic performances. There's been games when he's dominated and brought home the bacon, but far too many games when he's been hit to all corners, barely getting 2 or 3, but conceding almost half the oppositions score. Conceding 315 in a dead rubber is a pretty s**t performance. Even his best bowling figures in Australia is poor, 7/152 -consider that he was 1/100+ before India tried to slap him out of the park. At least he can console himself with his 7/94 against India in India, pretty good effort (@4/over), but still ultimately lost by 6 wickets, getting turkey slapped in the 2nd innings.
SOK vs Lyon bowling together
Economy rate: SOK
Strike rate: SOK
Average: SOK
Wickets: SOK
Man of the match: SOK
Lyon's career was saved by SOK not being ready in time, but only just.
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