Australia spinner Nathan Lyon isn’t particularly impressed by England’s deployment of Bazball, suggesting that he did not see much evidence of aggressive cricket from the hosts during the two Ashes 2023 Tests he played.
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The recently-concluded series finished 2-2, although Australia retained the Ashes, having won it previously, in 2021/22.
Lyon played the first two Tests, at Birmingham and Lord’s, picking twin four-fors in the first and returning with 1-35 in the second, before a calf injury ruled him out of the series. Australia won both games that he featured in.
Lyon has now quashed the hype around Bazball during the two games he featured in, saying England were not particularly aggressive with the bat.“I know everyone keeps talking about BazBall, to be honest, I didn’t really see BazBall… throughout my two Tests again them,” Lyon told SEN Cricket’s The Run Home.
“I’m 2-0 in my Tests against BazBall… I look at the Australian cricket team and the batters we’ve had, David Warner for example… I’ve seen him score hundreds in a session… and that’s off playing an attacking brand of cricket.”
England’s run rate was distinctly higher overall in the five-Test series: 4.74, compared to Australia’s 3.35. In the Birmingham Test, the Ashes opener, England’s strike rate stood at 5.03 when they declared on 393-8, and in the second, 4.11. In the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, the difference wasn’t as stark: England’s numbers were 4.25 and 4.01, comparable to Australia’s run-scoring rate in the first innings.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) August 2, 2023
“I think there’s a lot of smoke and mirrors with BazBall, if I’m being honest with you, and I feel like if you’re going to play an aggressive brand of cricket anyway, it’s about being able to go up and down in gears and understanding the moments in the game,” Lyon added.
He also said that he’s seriously eyeing the 2027 Ashes in England, revealing that time on the sidelines due to injury has fuelled his desire to “get back there”.
“My hunger for the game has probably gone to a new level,” Lyon said, “this has allowed me to have a little bit more time off during my rehab, sit back, reflect and reset some goals and find a really decent purpose for me.”
