Australia’s shock 3-2 ODI series win in India produced many questions which the selectors will hope to have answered in the five-match series against Pakistan starting on Friday.
There has been a heavy focus in the media and among cricket fans on Australia’s batting line-up and which players will get squeezed out of the top seven for the World Cup in June.
One issue that has been overlooked by comparison is whether Nathan Lyon’s old-school approach to spin bowling can work in one day cricket.
Lyon is likely to be picked in Australia’s World Cup squad based on comments yesterday by Australia’s chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns.
Yet after 20 career ODIs, the off spinner averages 43 with the ball. That gives him the second worst average of any Australian specialist ODI spinner in history (from a minimum of ten matches).
Nathan Lyon (AFP / Jekesai Nijikizana)
Lyon’s ODI bowling strike rate of 53 is comfortably worse even than those of part-time spinners like Glenn Maxwell (46), Darren Lehmann (34), Allan Border (36), Michael Clarke (45), Steve Smith (38) and Dave Hussey (44).
Consider how Lyon’s strike rate compares to those of the world’s top ODI spinners:
1. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) – strike rate 23
2. Kuldeep Yadav (India) – strike rate 26
3. Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan) – strike rate 30
4. Yuzvendra Chahal (India) – strike rate 30
5. Imran Tahir (South Africa) – strike rate 31
6. Adil Rashid (England) – strike rate 32
7. Shadab Khan (Pakistan) – strike rate 34
8. Akila Dananjaya (Sri Lanka) – strike rate 34
Adam Zampa’s strike rate is 37 – and Lyon’s is 53.
The first question, then, is whether there is a place in modern ODIs for a specialist finger spinner who bowls in a non-threatening, traditional style like Lyon?
My answer would be yes. With one proviso – they also need to be handy with the bat.
Old-fashioned finger spinners like Lyon and England’s Moeen Ali (ODI bowling average 47, strike rate 54) struggle to take wickets in one dayers because of their lack of variations, with their role instead being to stem the flow of runs.
But, whereas Moeen adds significant value by striking at 103 with the bat, Lyon does not have another string to his bow.
The second question, then, is whether it makes sense to pick a specialist bowler who offers next to nothing with the bat purely because they are economical, ignoring their lack of strike power.
My answer would be no. Australian leg spinner Adam Zampa has had a patchy ODI career to date yet his strike rate (37) is still dramatically better than Lyon’s (53).
ODI spinners being picked purely for their bowling surely must have the ability to shape a match by both taking wickets and choking the run rate, not just the latter.
Zampa has taken two or more wickets in 44 per cent of his matches, a figure which drops to just 20 per cent for Lyon.
Australia’s Adam Zampa in action. (AAP Image/SNPA, John Cowpland)
That is no great surprise. Wrist spinners dominate slow bowling in limited overs cricket, making up five of the top six ranked spinners in both ODIs and T20Is.
Traditional-style finger spinners have been marginalised, particularly in ODIs due to the limited wicket taking threat they pose on often flat pitches, where their lack of variations make them impotent.
The top two ranked finger spinners in ODI cricket – Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Zadran and Sri Lanka’s Akila Dananjaya – are unorthodox bowlers with bulging bags of tricks. Lyon, by comparison, doesn’t have any befuddling changeups, instead relying on his accuracy.
This precision helps make him an economical bowler, as evidenced by his fantastic economy rate of just 4.83 runs per over in his 20-match ODI career. But does this frugality make up for the fact that Lyon takes so few wickets?
What’s more is that Lyon is actually becoming less of a threat with the ball – since returning to the ODI side nine months ago after a long absence he has taken just four wickets in seven ODIs. Adam Zampa, by comparison, has taken 11 wickets in his past seven ODIs.
Lyon surely will need to prove more penetrative in the ODIs against Pakistan in the UAE if he is to play a significant role in the World Cup.
Saurebh Gandle
Roar Guru
What about lynnsanity.
Saurebh Gandle
Roar Guru
Zampa turns at pace .Make no mistake!
HB
Guest
To bowl teams out, our main bowlers need to take at least two wickets each. That's a strike rate of under 30. Very few of our bowlers have an ODI strike rate of under 30. If we are forced to go with bowlers with strike rates over 30, we are going to have to bowl the full 50 overs most of the time, so we should go with the bowlers who have the best economy rates. Lyon has a very good economy rate. Significantly better than Zampa.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
My guess is that Lyon isn't a certainty for the starting 11 in England but will probably be in the squad as cover for Zampa. I don't think Gazza is anyones idea of a perfect limited overs bowler but we've got to be realistic about it, who else is there? I suppose Boyce is an option but he doesn't seem to be on the selectors radar. That leaves us with Lyon.
mrrexdog
Roar Guru
Boyce hasn’t got a state contract, he got cut by Tasmania at the end of last season (they played Clive Rose in the jlt Cup). Boyce has been playing grade cricket in Brisbane, I’m surprised he isn’t playing for Queensland 2nd XI or picked up a T20 franchise gig
Paul
Roar Guru
You're 100% right Ronan, but the selectors, in terms of a quality ODI spinner, are caught between a really big rock and a serious hard place. Rightly or wrongly, it seems to me they focused on batting and figured our bowling was okay, because they had Zampa and a bunch of quality quicks. As soon as you ask the simple question, " who replaces Zampa", their's only one answer because they've completely ignored this part of ODI cricket.
maverick
Roar Rookie
That is a mystery Ronan.I don't know why Tasmania doesn't pick Boyce in one day cricket.It's not like they have a plethora of skillful spin bowlers.But I still think he is the second best limited overs spin bowling option for Australia,much better than Lyon anyway.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Maverick it's very hard to pick a guy in 50-over cricket for Australia who can't even get a game of 50-over cricket for his State.
maverick
Roar Rookie
Ronan,I think Cam Boyce would have been a better pick than Lyon.He has been excellent in the big bash over the past few years.He is almost as good as Zampa imo.And he did pretty well when he played some t20 matches for Australia.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Yep, averaging a touch under 32 with a strike rate over 120 is outstanding for a guy that comes in in the middle to late order. I also never said he’s the best batsman in the team just the most important. No one can replace him.
Josh H
Roar Rookie
I'm really disappointed that we haven't seen Agar very often, even outside of his injury. He's exactly the spinner we need who can hold down an end, which complements a wicket-taking Zampa perfectly. He's even more of an asset if we play any of Starc, Richardson and to a lesser extent, Cummins, who in ODIs tend to sacrifice tight line and length to take wickets. In addition to his excellent fielding, Agar could also be the no.8 we've been crying out for. I'd even argue that he's more valuable than Stoinis with the blade. What's the point of having someone who chews up 30 balls in the last 10 overs of an innings for a couple of cheap sixes before they even get their eye in when you can get someone to get the scoring ticking over from ball one for a run-a-ball 20? I know who I'd rather play. Just a shame he's injured.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
No I am taking into account of their averages including the Indian tour. So 35 vs 43 is countered by the economy rates of 5.6 vs 4.8 . That makes them even now as far as bowling . I was referring to before the Indian tour because Zampa had a poor record in one dayers and his figures were never mentioned before now. Lyon had a good series in India as well but as far as economy rate 4.43 the best in the series. I would say take both in case you have wickets that are going to turn, even if you play neither and use Maxwell instead for the whole tournament.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Mitchell Santner is a traditional (SLA) who is a gun in ODIs Santner averages 35 with the ball in ODIs, he certainly isn't a "gun" bowler when there's plenty of ODI bowlers who are similarly economical while averaging 25 or less. Overall, however, he fits the description that I gave in the article that traditional finger spinners like Lyon and Santner need to be able to bat as well (like Santner can).
matth
Roar Guru
For a lower middle order bat, average is less important than strike rate, but people still use average to beat Maxwell down. How about this, name another player other than Butler that has Maxwell’s strike rate and a thirty plus average. You’d struggle to name three in the world and there may be none even domestically in this country.
Targa
Guest
Mitchell Santner is a traditional (SLA) who is a gun in ODIs (better than half those mentioned in the article - unorthodox and leggies). Also, unlike Lyon, he bats well and is better in the field.
Tom
Guest
Hard to say for sure but there is no way in hell a bloke averaging 31 after 95 matches is. Not to mention he has been pretty underwhelming lately if you want to look at recent form. There is no doubt he is one of out best T20 batsmen but he has never been at the top of our 50 over batsmen. Smarsh, Finch, Khawaja have all done more than him at different times over the past 12 months. He has ability but he has absolutely not produced the results to be considered out best.
James
Roar Rookie
The five game series against Pakistan is a golden opportunity to test the ability of each of our spinners. Rest Pat Cummins and select Nathan Lyon and Adam Zampa for ALL 5 games! Make sure Glenn Maxwell bowls as well. It doesn't matter if we don't win this series. The team should be confident after the India series. Pakistan will go after the spinners so let's see how they go. Maybe encourage Finch to role his arm over too.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Probably tough to get a 1 and a half first ball, but with Maxwell anything is possible
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Why leave out Zampa’s tour of India brainstrust? Why don’t you include his tour of India and then take out his worst 5 matches he’s ever played for Australia and see what it all averages out to then? Because that’s what you’ve just done, but in reverse. You clearly didn’t watch the one dayers in India to make a post like that. Zampa bowled like he was nearly as good as any spinner in the world. Lyon’s bowling was good, but to compare them, would be like comparing Smith as a test batsman to Joe Root. They aren’t comparable.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Who is our best batsman then? I’m not saying it is Maxwell, but I’d like to know who you think is Tom? It’s not Finch, it would be a stretch to say Warner or Smith considering they haven’t played for a year, no way it is Stoinis, and Khawaja wasn’t good enough to be in the team 6 or 7 matches ago. Likewise Handscomb. We do have like for like replacements for Handscomb Khawaja and S.Marsh with Smith. We don’t have a like for like replacement for Maxwell, a guy that can go at a strike rate of 150, from ball 1. Because of this I’d have him as our most important batsman, a fraction ahead of Warner, who we don’t have a like for like replacement for either.