As teammates hog spotlight, Nathan Lyon operates in the shadows

Nathan Lyon was almost supernumerary for most of the Pakistan series until he finally grabbed his chance at Adelaide Oval.

Nathan Lyon is congratulated by teammates after taking the wicket of Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi. Picture: Getty Images

With David Warner hogging all the batting and the Australian quicks dividing the glory three ways, Nathan Lyon was almost supernumerary for most of the Pakistan series.

There’s precious little time to make a mark, especially on an ­Adelaide pitch untarnished by blemishes after four days’ play.

Lyon wasn’t quite as marginalised as Travis Head, who didn’t bat, didn’t bowl and didn’t take a catch in the first 3½ days of his home Test. But Lyon did his work in the shadows while the pacemen bathed in the Adelaide twilight, taking 5-69 in the second innings.

It was the 16th time he has taken five or more wickets in a Test innings — four of them in Adelaide Lyon has now collected 50 Test wickets at Adelaide Oval at a strike-rate surpassing the legendary Shane Warne.

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Warne captured 56 wickets in 26 Test innings in Adelaide at an average of 30.44 — the most victims of any Test bowler in the South Australian capital.

Lyon has snared his 50 victims in 18 Test innings in Adelaide at an average of 26.04.

“It’s a great place to play cricket ... it’s a great wicket and Damian has done a fantastic job again,” Lyon told ABC radio after the win.

He didn’t bowl badly in his wicketless first innings. His 0-65 from 22 overs was tidy enough.

Of the frontline bowlers, only Starc had a better economy rate. He didn’t fall into the familiar trap of aiming too straight or spending too much time around the wicket.

BLOG: How day four unfolded

He was let down by his mates. Tim Paine missed a stumping when Lyon did Yasir Shah with drift, turn and bounce. Unfortunately, the bounce ­befuddled Paine as well as the batsman.

Later, Marnus Labuschagne spilt his second sitter of the ­innings. The first, a regulation caught and bowled, was self-harm. The second, when he dropped Yasir at short leg, twisted the knife in Lyon’s side.

It was a similar tale in Brisbane. Seventeen overs, 1-40, and 21 overs, 1-74, was a meagre return but unrepresentative of a Test in which Lyon flighted the ball and bowled an attacking off-stump line. But bowlers are judged on cold numbers. And before Monday, Lyon had 13 wickets at 52.76 since his 6-49 at Birmingham.

It’s a hard lot, that of the offie.

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Just ask Chris Harms, the off-spinner who bowled South Australia to wins back when South Australia used to win.

“The trick for an offie is to bowl like a creative accountant,” Harms wrote in a self-deprecating but ­instructive piece on his craft.

“You bowl 35-plus straight overs, you sledge, you bluff. You ask some brave and earnest soul to stay at forward short leg all afternoon, never flinching.

“And have your best fieldsmen just behind square at 45 ready for the top-edged sweep, and the other gun to go 10 inside the fence at square leg to catch the full-bore sweep.

“Eureka, the offie is hard to get away and you’ll end up with a tidy five or six-for and a big thirst.”

Paine must’ve missed the bit about the gun fielder at 45. Because at times Lyon had no one at 45. He found Yasir’s top edge only for the ball to plop safely on the ­vacant turf at backward square. Lyon watched in wonder, hands on knees. And smiled.

On Monday he was expected, once again, to bowl the side to victory, because that’s what spinners are for, right?

Shan Masood wandered down the wicket to welcome Lyon to the crease — then hit him for six over mid-on. He should’ve stayed there. For Masood fell like Icarus, caught at mid-off by Starc for 68.

That broke the dam and breached the seal; Lyon had his second when Warner held a catch at leg slip. Masood (68) and Shafiq (57) were the only wickets in the 2 ½ extended first ­session.

Lyon made it three out of three when Labuschagne at last held a catch at short leg (after dropping another off Lyon in the interim).

No one wanted to catch Yasir so Lyon trapped him plumb in front to make it four out of four.

None of the quicks had taken a wicket in four hours. When he had Shaheen Afridi caught in the deep, he waved the ball to the crowd as he went to ­dinner.

Who needs an offspinner, eh?

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AAP