India’s blunder in not selecting a spinner for the second Test haunted them yesterday as Nathan Lyon bowled Australia to within striking distance of a rousing win in Perth.
Despite Lyon having starred with seven wickets during the last first-class match at Perth Stadium, India gambled by overlooking veteran tweaker Ravi Jadeja in favour of playing a fourth quick.
That extra paceman Umesh Yadav has had a shocking Test, taking 2 for 139 on a bowler-friendly pitch, while Lyon again proved the new Perth deck is great for spinners, grabbing 7 for 97 in the match so far.
Lyon’s first wicket yesterday won Australia this Test. At 2 for 48 chasing 287 to win, India were long odds to claim a 2-0 lead in the series. But any hope of a comeback victory evaporated when Lyon dismissed Indian kingpin Virat Kohli.
The visiting skipper was the only reason India were still in the match, having scored nearly half his team’s runs in the first innings with a supreme knock of 123.
So gifted is Kohli, so massive is his influence on his team’s psyche, that as long as he remained at the crease India were always in the Test.
When Lyon got an off break to skid off the cracked pitch, kiss Kohli’s edge and land in the hands of slip, the pressure released from the match like oxygen from an untied balloon.
Not that India had no good batsmen left. Rather that they possessed no one else of the freakish ability to make the impossible a reality.
Two overs later Lyon castled Murali Vijay and India were 4-55 and cooked like a Christmas ham.
So much of the focus in this match has been on the exhilarating pace of the pitch and the bruising work of both side’s quicks. Bouncers have smashed helmets. Length balls have bruised fingers.
Each session has had at least one and sometimes several spells of genuinely intimidating quick bowling. Cricket fans are captivated by the sight of fast bowlers pummelling batsmen in this manner.
As the quicks have hugged the spotlight, Lyon has quietly gone about dominating for the second Test in a row.
At Adelaide he was destined to shine as that slow, abrasive surface was made for spinners.
Here, however, he was meant to be a sidekick for Australia’s big, bad seamers.
But Lyon is in such rich form that he now appears capable of flourishing on almost any kind of surface. He is no longer a weapon on suitable pitches, instead all pitches are becoming suitable for his weapons.
Nathan Lyon bowls (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
In his past 20 Tests, Lyon has hoarded an incredible 110 wickets. While he is still yet to crack South Africa for some reason, there appears to be no other conditions which trouble him.
Lyon was Australia’s best bowler in the last Ashes in England, excelled in New Zealand soon after that, has a great record in the West Indies, continually performs well in Australia, and last year finally conquered Asia.
It was that success on the subcontinent which seems to have pushed Lyon to another level. To that point of his career there was a question mark over his ability to exploit Asian conditions.
He put paid to that over the course of six Tests in India and Bangladesh during which he grabbed 41 wickets at 19, including five five-wicket hauls.
Prior to that tour, Lyon had struggled versus India, averaging 37 from 10 Tests. Now he is their nightmare opponent, having grabbed 34 wickets at 23 in his last six Tests against them.
Now this current series heads to the two venues where Lyon had looked likely to be most pivotal – the MCG and the SCG. Lyon’s ability to bowl long, frugal spells will be key at Melbourne, which has been the flattest Test pitch in Australia in recent years.
Then at the SCG, where Australia sometimes play two spinners, he should get plenty of purchase from early in the match and footmarks to aim at as it wears on.
After years of being an unfashionable cricketer – a finger spinner in a country besotted by pace – Lyon is now Australia’s main man.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You're easy fodder. You get so upset, so easily. You don't really need me to approve everything you write. Just take it on the chin.
Steele
Guest
Gee wiz Don, am I writing in Arabic? I said don’t mention those guys as they DO NOT bowl????????♂️. Instead of having a crack at it, you decide to have a crack at me!
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Huh? None of them bowl (and don't suggest Wade bowls). He did that as a dare.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Both pitches have been quite traditional Aussie pitches. Lyon bowled into Starc's footmarks in Adelaide. Ashwin had to forego those footmarks because of our surfeit of left hand batsmen. In Perth, Lyon had no particular assistance from the pitch. He just bowled well.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
...or Ishant.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Psychologically you don't change a winning side after 2 poor series. It was a team win and Handscomb could now just click with confidence after a brillant catch and getting to bat on his home track. Finch is the only likely missing thru injury and as the selectors have said the same 13 are going to the next 2 Tests Labuschagne isn't in the mix.
Rellum
Roar Guru
If Paine could convert of few scores then I would put him up there with Lyon. Paine just put in a defining performance in that Test, one that will change the course of the Test team and the game here. A performance just should reverberate through the history of the game here. Not so much with the bat, but with his leadership.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Must be more to it then Ronan. Possibly the selectors believed a full pace attack was best option, or from what we've seen since they were afraid to play Ishant & Jadeja in the same team!
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Might have something to do with the workload, bat, bowl captain. He had some time away from the game last year when not in a good headspace. Just surmising.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Classic qwetzen. Best to quit while you’re behind buddy, otherwise you just fall further behind.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
"Jadeja is the most economical spinner in test cricket, going at just 2.38 runs per over in his career. Even outside of Asia his economy is supreme at 2.75 runs per over." Jadeja v/s Ashwin against SENA in test overseas Against NZ--> Jadeja : Inn-4, Wkt-3, Econ - 2.88 ,Avg-85,SR- 178. Ashwin : DNP Against SA --> Jadeja : Inn-2, Wkt-6, Econ - 2.47 ,Avg-25.66,SR- 62 (All wicket in 1 innings, SA scored 500 runs) Ashwin : Inn-6, Wkt-7, Econ - 2.72 ,Avg-46,SR- 101 Against Eng --> Jadeja : Inn-8, Wkt-16, Econ - 2.9 ,Avg-42,SR- 87 Ashwin : Inn-9, Wkt-14, Econ - 2.6 ,Avg-32,SR- 75 Against Aus --> Jadeja : DNP Ashwin : Inn-12, Wkt-27, Econ - 3 ,Avg-48,SR- 95
jameswm
Guest
I'd say our best 4 in no particular order are Khawaja, Paine, Lyon and Cummins. Probably add Hazlewood tbh.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Chris Love said; "There was light and day between Clarke and Smith...". P. Edant says: Shouldn't that be "night and day"? Anyways... We have a difference of opinion. Smith wasn't great tactically, but he didn't rip Lyon out of the attack like Clarke did if an over went for a few. Supportingly (today's new word) Lyon was bowled almost the exact same number of overs under each captain, however Lyon has 17 fewer innings under Smith. And whoever describer Clarke's field placing as "innovative" is correct. The problem though was that he did this because he'd been told/had read that the great captains were "innovative" with their field placements. Alas, they did this based on a particular set of circumstances and knowledge, Clarke did it because he thought it'd make him look like a great captain. Remember when he placed MJ directly behind the bowler? And his setting of a 'reverse umbrella' in one Test was plain embarrassing.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Maxwell is far and away the best option as a number 6 batsman who can also bowl some handy overs. After him it's MMarsh, Stoinis and maybe Labuschagne and none of them are overly appealing.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Cheers Paul. That was a real turning point for Lyon, he went away and made several technical changes to his run up and action which helped him immensely.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Why do they have to be able to bowl? Are we struggling to take wickets at the moment? I would have thought the MCG curators will be on notice after last year and ensure they make a wicket that produces a result. What is the point of picking an "all rounder" to bowl ten overs, if they're going to get out for 15 in both innings? Play to win - if you don't have a genuine all rounder, pick the best six bats, the 'keeper and four bowlers.
AREH
Roar Guru
You're right he sure does
Steele
Roar Rookie
Ok Ronan and Roarers. Best three (in order) replacement options for Handy. Must be capable of bowling relief overs. No mention of Burns, Wade ,Ferg etc. Go!
Steele
Roar Rookie
Ok Ronan and Co. Presuming Handy gets the chop, give me your top three replacement options. The only prerequisite being that they must be capable of bowling up to ten relief over. So no mention of Burns or Wade for instance. GO!!
Steele
Guest
Ronan and Co, give me your top three options in order at the number six position. The only prerequisite being that they can bowl relief overs. It’s an interesting debate. In hindsight, Watson and Symonds for instance really were quite talented.