Nathan Lyon looms as Australia’s ace in the hole for Perth Test
No one really knew what to expect from the first Test at Perth’s new Optus Stadium and what the wicket could produce. But one delivery midway through day one was particularly revealing.
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For all the bluster about how the spicy Perth wicket was going to make fast bowling great again, Nathan Lyon looms as Australia’s ace in the hole following a stunning “con job”.
No one really knew what to expect from the first Test at Perth’s new Optus Stadium and what the wicket could produce.
But one delivery midway through day one would’ve left Lyon “licking his lips” at the prospect of bowling on the minefield that was emerging.
Fans were given a small insight of how the nightmarish pitch would play when a tame delivery from part-time offspinner Hanuma Vihari hit a crack and reared up off a length like a Curtly Ambrose bouncer to stun Marcus Harris.
The opener could only to fend it to first slip — drawing a close to his career-best knock on 70.
But it was proof it’s not just the speedsters who can extract a bit of life from this wicket.
“That ball had absolutely no right to bounce as high as it did. I’d love to know if it hit a crack,” former Test opener Simon Katich told SEN Radio.
“He’s unlucky Marcus Harris. That ball trampolined off the wicket. Nathan Lyon will be licking his lips.”
Lyon knows as well as anyone how to bowl on this wicket. In the only first class game played at Perth Stadium, he took seven wickets to bowl NSW to a Sheffield Shield victory over Western Australia last month on a pitch which played similarly.
It’s why former Test spinner Kerry O’Keeffe was left flabbergasted by India’s decision to omit a frontline spinner after Ravi Ashwin was ruled out through injury.
Instead of turning to Ravindra Jadeja, India opted for a fourth seamer.
“This is a jaw-dropper for me, given on this very pitch Nathan Lyon took seven wickets in the recent Sheffield Shield game,” O’Keeffe told Fox Sports.
“And Ravindra Jadeja adds extra starch to their batting as well as giving them a strong spin option.
“With four non-batting fast bowlers, Australia know they can access the tail if they can remove Rishabh Pant early at seven. (That’s a) big psychological edge for Australia if they can bat large in their first innings.”
O’Keeffe suggested it was the culmination of a lengthy con job over the spiciness of the wicket.
“The funny thing is, two days out the groundsman said ‘If you win the toss, you’ve got to send them in on the strip that I’m going to give ya’,” he said on Fox Cricket.
“It has been a massive con job and (India have) fallen for it. You’ve dropped the spinner, it is going to turn square on the fourth day.”
Champion Australian paceman Glenn McGrath and former England captain Michael Vaughan also felt India had fallen into a trap by deploying a four-prong pace attack.
“They have got caught up in the hype and felt this pitch was going to do everything, bounce, pace, carry, seam,” McGrath said on Channel 7.
Ashes-winning skipper Vaughan added: “I do think over the course of the next few days Virat (Kohli) will be looking over his shoulder and thinking ‘why didn’t I play a specialist spinner?’”
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