ASHES: Talking points from Old Trafford Day Two

Is Nathan Lyon a new bowler? Are the English quicks toothless without reverse swing? Is Alastair Cook the most defensive skipper in world cricket? How did Michael Clarke let David Warner review his dismissal?

Is Nathan Lyon a new bowler?
Since being unjustly jettisoned after taking nine wickets in the final Test in India in March, Lyon has clearly remodelled both his run up and action.

In the final session yesterday he scurried towards the crease into a jaunty fashion before launching into a delivery leap which had shades of an Irish jig.

Seldom has a bowler revamped their approach so noticeably in a matter of months.

However, what captured the attention even more than this drastic renovation was the manner in which Lyon performed.

Guilty last Australian summer of bowling with too flat a trajectory, Lyon showed the English batsmen he had learned from his error.

He utilised tremendous loop and drift to deliver the ball in a tantalising arc which had openers Alastair Cook and Joe Root groping hopefully at the ball.

The off spinner bowled with impressive energy, regularly matching the number of revolutions Graeme Swann had imparted on the pill in Australia’s first dig.

He was unfortunate not to claim the wicket of Cook with just his third delivery when he induced a nick from the English skipper which struck Haddin’s thigh before falling just short of Clarke at slip.

Lyon repeatedly breached Cook’s defences and had similar success against Root, who was clueless as to how to combat the assured spinner.

In his eight-over spell with the new ball Lyon arguably caused the English batsmen as many problems as teenage slow bowler Ashton Agar had over the course of two entire Tests.

With left arm quick Mitchell Starc set to create footmarks outside the right handers’ off stump, Lyon’s menace will only heighten over the duration of the Test.

If Australia are to win this Test, Lyon will need to match Swann’s deeds.

Are the England quicks toothless without reverse swing?
The old balls behaved so devilishly in the first two Tests that both captains were often reticent to swap them for a new version.

James Anderson, in particular, was often more lethal with the weathered projectile which he managed to hoop extravagantly in both directions.

While conventional swing was on offer throughout the first two days at Old Trafford, England’s canny quicks were unable to gain the reverse movement which had haunted the Aussie batsmen.

Suddenly, Anderson appeared not a demon quick impervious to Aussie endeavour, but a sturdy operator dependant on the elusive power of luck.

His return of 0-116 was the first time in three years he had conceded a century of runs in a Test innings without taking a wicket. Between them, the English pace trio snared just two wickets in 98 overs.

As true as the pitch has played, it is difficult to imagine Australia would have subjugated the England quicks in the same manner had reverse swing been a significant factor.

Is Cook the most defensive captain in world cricket?
On a flat pitch with Australia in a dominant position at 3-303, England desperately needed to exploit the shiny ball at the beginning of yesterday’s play.

The first day’s action had shown that once the pill aged bowling became laborious for the pacemen, who could not gain the same disconcerting reverse swing they had enjoyed in the first two Tests.

Rather than seeking to turn the screws on Michael Clarke and Steve Smith before they got set at the crease, Cook employed a generous brand of captaincy which allowed both batsmen to ease into the first session.

A sweeper immediately was sent to the deep point boundary, offering the Aussie pair an easy pressure-releasing single.

They graciously accepted Cook’s charitable strategy, regularly bunting the ball into that gap to change strike. Smith and his skipper added 40 runs in the opening 14 overs with minimal risk.

It appeared the only way they would be dismissed was if one of the batsmen mirrored Cook’s philanthropic spirit by donating their wicket.

Unfortunately for the Aussies, Smith’s benevolence surfaced at an inopportune juncture as he slogged needlessly at a stock delivery from Swann, skying the ball to mid wicket.

Twenty minutes later, Haddin came to the crease with Australia five down and England a chance of restricting Australia to a par score of 400.

One lusty blow from Haddin off Swann was all it required for Cook to initiate retreat mode.

After the keeper slog-swept Swann for four, Cook swiftly placed three men on the legside boundary to a batsman with just eight runs to his name.

Six of Haddin’s next seven scoring shots were singles, tapped through the plethora of openings in the infield. The veteran went on to play a pivotal knock of 65 not out.

Cook is a supreme batsman and a fine leader but a dreadfuly meek tactician.

How did Clarke let Warner review his dismissal?
Cavalier stroke maker David Warner was perhaps the only human in attendance at Old Trafford who doubted he had edged the ball.

The delivery from Graeme Swann took a sharp deviation off Warner’s blade, rebounded off the leg of Matt Prior and ballooned to first slip. Even in real time it looked an obvious dismissal.

Yet as the English fielders hollered in celebration, Warner sauntered down the wicket towards his captain shaking his head with vigour.

“I didn’t hit it,” he appeared to say to Clarke, whose body language suggested he was not of the same opinion.

With a slight shrug of the shoulders Clarke acquiesced to his batting partner’s fervored denial.

The replay was as embarrassing as Warner’s moustache and the left hander was sent back to the pavilion amid a cacophonous chorus of jeers from the Manchester crowd.

Warner’s ill-advised review earned him the tag of a “douche bag” on Twitter from former Australian keeper Ryan Campbell, who added that the batsman’s referral “sums u up I’m afraid”.

Clarke, however, was deserving of greater scorn than Warner, whose judgment was clouded by the fact he slammed his bat into his pad immediately prior to the edge.

The Aussie skipper had a clear view and should have overruled his bombastic teammate.

Geoff Lemon’s Ashes Diary – Icelandic Cricket and Eyjafjallajökull