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Lyon has a test bowling average of around 32 which wouldn't even be close to being ranked in the top 20 test bowling averages of all time.
Lyon has a test bowling average of around 32 which wouldn't even be close to being ranked in the top 20 test bowling averages of all time.
I reckon he's got a bit of a thankless job. Most of the time he's just there to bowl a heap of overs which pushes your average and strike out and then people ride him if he doesn't take wickets on the 4th/5th days. Most spinners can't tie down an end and average strike bowler numbers. That Warne could and did it as a leggie is why Warne is in all time XIs.
Lyon sits on 3.9 wickets per test level with Hazlewood, Starc is on 4.2 and Cummins 4.9 who all have better career figures.
Lyon's contemporaries are really Murali, Harbhajan Singh and Ravi Ashwin. Murali is in a league of his own, Turbanator has a comparable record to Lyon and played most of his tests in the subcontinent and Ashwin has a better record but is the David Warner of spin bowling.
The reality is he will never be in any GOAT XI because Australia picks 3 quicks and Shane Warne every time. But he's been pretty handy.
Lyon has a test bowling average of around 32 which wouldn't even be close to being ranked in the top 20 test bowling averages of all time.
So 11 chances in the first innings. How many will Yasir give in the second.
Other than a freak like Muralitharan what offspinner would? Even a legend like Lance Gibbs averaged 29.
They might not even last that long.
Ravi Jadega has the lowest career average for an Indian offie. Once you let that sink in you realise that once you get past the Murali and Warne's of the world you have to look at a whole bunch of stats and do some analysis to assess a bowlers worth and put them in context.
Lyon stacks up pretty comfortably as one of our best ever slow bowlers and he has serviceable to excellent results all over the world on varying surfaces. That he isn't Warne seems to be crime enough in the eyes of many.
As an Australian it is good going. Australia an absolute graveyard for off-spinners. Even Murali only averaged 75 here. The important stat is the 368 wickets he has from his 92nd Test. That is 4 per Test. Nothing wrong with that, especially playing most of his Tests in Australia.
EDIT: Make that 369 wickets!