While pitches in England and Australia are not as conducive to spin bowling as they are in the subcontinent, the legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne has taken the most wickets (195) in the annals of the Ashes. In the upcoming Ashes, while James Anderson and Stuart Broad will attempt to outperform Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, it will be fascinating to see how Moeen Ali and Nathan Lyon perform.
According to former Australia coach Justin Langer, Lyon is the superior bowler compared to Moeen.
“England lacks a spinner of world-class calibre. This is not an insult to Moeen (Ali). Langer told The Telegraph, “He’s a good offie, but he’s no Nathan Lyon.”
“Until I began mentoring Australia, I had no idea how talented a bowler Nathan Lyon is. He is an extremely skilled bowler. Inaccessible and immensely significant to Australia. He not only takes wickets but also bowls a large number of overs and traditionally maintains one end.”
In Australia’s 209-run victory over India in the fourth innings of the World Test Championship final last week, Lyon exhibited an excellent display of spin bowling. The 35-year-old completed the round with a score of 4/41. He only delivered four overs in the first innings but took the crucial wicket of Ravindra Jadeja. Harry Brook recently declared his intention to challenge Lyon. However, Justin Langer believes it will not be an easy challenge.
“You hear that they are about to destroy Nathan Lyon. However, I was observing Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli this week. And I’m going, which is not a simple task. I believe he could be the deciding factor in the series,” he continued.
Lyon has played against England in 28 Tests throughout his career. He has collected 101 wickets at a rate of 29.42 per game, including two five-wicket hauls.
The first of five Ashes Tests is scheduled to take place on June 16 at Edgbaston. In his previous match against England at Edgbaston, Lyon concluded with nine wickets, six of which came in the second innings.
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