Adelaide: Australia spinner Nathan Lyon threw down the gauntlet to England’s batsmen Wednesday, challenging them to hit him out of the attack at the Adelaide Oval here during second Ashes test.
The 30-year-old has returned to his former home ground in top form ahead of the Test, which starts Saturday, after taking five wickets in Australia’s easy win at the Gabba in Brisbane.
With none of England’s batsmen taking the attack to the off-spinner at the Gabba, Lyon invited them to go on the offensive at the Adelaide Oval, where he helped bowl Australia to victory against South Africa a year ago.
“I think if they did do that, it does definitely play into my hands,” Lyon told reporters at the ground here. “I like it when opposition guys try to attack me and try to whack me out of the attack.
“But it’s a part of the game. No doubt England will come prepared and they’ll have a different plan for me compared to what they had in the first Test. But it is what it is. It’s about adapting; it’s about enjoying the challenge and embracing the game of cricket,” added the offie who is 26 shy of the 300-wicket mark.
Lyon was criticised in the lead-up to the Gabba Test for his comment that Australia could end careers during the Ashes, including that of his former club teammate and England captain Joe Root. The plain-spoken off-spinner was more generous Wednesday and said that Root’s team were a ‘classy’ side and that the Yorkshireman’s bowlers would be favoured by the conditions in the first day-night Ashes Test.
“I think with the pink ball, it’s going to suit their bowlers,” informed Lyon. “We know they’re going to come back bigger and better and stronger. It’s not going to be a walk in the park. We need to make sure that we respect them.”
No night curfew
Adelaide: Australian coach Darren Lehmann said Wednesday that he can’t envisage ever slapping a curfew on his players, who were ‘grown men’, after England opted to ban their team being out after midnight. “We wouldn’t have curfews but that’s our decision and that (having them) is theirs,” Lehmann told reporters. “We have faith in the blokes to do the right thing. They’re grown men, they’re adults.” England have imposed the curfew after the incident of Jonny Bairstow’s headbutt on Cameron Bancroft came to light.
