Australia’s hardworking bowling crew will be fit and firing: Lyon
Australia’s bowling attack was forced through a mountain of work in the Boxing Day Test, and Mitchell Starc was nursed through large chunks, but the full arsenal will be unleashed at the SCG.
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Spinner Nathan Lyon has guaranteed the Australian bowling attack will hit the fourth Test in Sydney at full fitness despite the MCG toil and no fourth day overs from Mitchell Starc.
Lyon and Pat Cummins were forced to do the batting the top-order couldn’t in holding out until stumps having bowled for just under an hour earlier in the day.
But during that time Starc, who only bowled three overs on day three, didn’t roll his arm over at all.
His match tally was just 31 of 208 overs bowled by Australia.
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Lyon however said there was “no issues” with the bowlers who would be “100 per cent” for Sydney.
But the spinner did concede that the lack of impact with the ball in the first innings at the MCG could have been a result of a heavy workload through the series so far.
“We have had to bowl a lot of overs, so fatigue could possibly play a role in that,” he said
“But the bowling attack in the Australian change room, I know how hard we are working.”
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Cummins’ career best haul of 9-99 has been a standout effort and nearly a solo effort too with the other bowlers sharing just six wickets.
It’s a scenario in contrast to the trio of Indian seamers Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami, who yesterday broke the record for Test wickets in a calendar year.
They have taken 131 wickets between them in 2018, breaking a 34-year-old record held by West Indies seamers Joel Garner, Michael Holding, and Malcolm Marshall.
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Lyon called them the best Indian attack he has ever seen and they are a group Indian bowling coach Bharut Arun said had the right combination of toughness and consistency to help their team rule the world.
“Most Indian cricketers are very tough, they go through a lot in their childhood and playing first class cricket where there is so much competition,” Lyon said.
“There have been great Indian fast bowlers, but to have a bunch now, this is the first time India has had a great bunch of fast bowlers.
“They have proved over the last year that they are fast, they can be mean, and they can be consistent.”
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Originally published as Australia’s hardworking bowling crew will be fit and firing: Lyon
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