Ashes: Lyon’s emergence as chief sledger shocks everyone

Offspinner Nathan Lyon’s emergence as Ashes sledger in chief has shocked everyone, including his teammates.

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon checks out the Gabba wicket yesterday

There was a fair bit of mystification in the England camp this week, not so much that they were being baited before the Ashes series but rather by the unlikely author of those hurtful comments.

Had it been David Warner saying them, or perhaps one of the recently retired Australian greats — a Brad Haddin, for example, or even a Glenn McGrath — there might have been no reaction from the Poms beyond an exaggerated and exasperated rolling of eyes.

But the author was none other than Nathan Lyon, the Australian offspinner who, until now at least, has always left the sledging to the heavy hitters. Indeed, so entirely out of character was it when Lyon questioned the courage of Matt Prior, James Anderson and Stuart Broad during the last Ashes campaign on these shores, that former England captain Nasser Hussain admitted to be entirely perplexed by them.

“Nathan Lyon’s words are exactly the kind of thing you expect to hear before a ball goes down in an Ashes series,” Hussain wrote in The Daily Mail. “Yet it is surprising they came from him. Maybe he was trying to deflect from the bad week Australia have had as far as selection has gone, and a few of their ex-cricketers in Allan Border, Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill turning on their selectors.

“Maybe he was trying to get the heat back on England but it was an off thing to say — especially the historical stuff about Matt Prior.”

Sharing the bewilderment was England captain Joe Root, who confessed he was at a loss to explain Lyon’s motivation. “You’d have to ask him,” said Root. “That’s not how I’d want my players to go about things but that’s up to him … I think it’s slightly out of character. I know Nathan from playing club cricket but it doesn’t seem very real.”

To be fair, it wasn’t just the visitors who were taken aback by Lyon’s outburst. Australian skipper Steve Smith was also mildly shocked.

“I don’t know where that actually came from,” said Smith. “It’s all part of pre-Ashes banter, really. That’s been around for years. For us it’s about ensuring that when we get out in the middle we’re playing hard, not crossing the line.

“There is a line there that isn’t supposed to be crossed. We’re going to play good, hard aggressive cricket there this series, that’s for sure.”

It may be that Lyon has crossed into another dimension in terms of motivating himself for this series. “Was that Garry speaking or the Goat?” asked one observer. Good question.

“Garry”, the nickname bestowed on him by former Test keeper Matthew Wade last season, normally wouldn’t say boo to a goose. But if it was the Goat speaking — as in Greatest Of All Time, a reference to Lyon’s achievement in taking more Test wickets than any other Australian offspinner — then perhaps they weren’t entirely out of character.

Ever since he clean bowled West Indian opener Kraigg Brath­waite at Sabina Park in 2015 for his 142nd Test wicket, passing the 101-year-old mark of legendary Australian finger spinner Hugh Trumble, Lyon has been progressivelycoming out of his shell.

“I think he’s grown in confidence over the last year,” said Smith. “Even the way he talks to me out in the field. He’s willing to throw up some suggestions, coming up over the wicket to a left-hander. He probably wasn’t comfortable doing [that] just over a year ago. So I think he has grown in confidence a lot in his place around the team and his ability … the way he’s bowling and the consistency he’s bowling is really good for us, so I’m excited. I think he bowls really well on a wicket that bounces a bit.”

It’s ironic that it was Mike Hussey who conferred on Lyon the honour of leading the Australian team in song whenever they win a Test. Because Hussey, too, had an outrageous alter ego. Whenever “Mike” was around, it would all be rather bland and predictable. But whenever “Maurice” took over, look out. Suddenly Hussey became the life of the party, dancing on tables, bellowing out songs at the top of his lungs.

There’s a slightly holier-than-thou approach being taken by ­England to the Australian sledging and while Root has given his players permission to respond in kind if they feel the pressing need, mostly he wants them to stay “in character”. But then, one wonders, what’s the story with Mr Anderson?

Under normal circumstances, the England pace spearhead is a fine, upstanding citizen. He’s the one that answers to the name “James”. But there is also a “Jimmy” lurking in the background, narkily ready to rattle the Aussies with a little aggro.

It does seem, just getting back to that Lyon, that he — the Garry and the Goat — had better get used to being in the spotlight. While it took him five years to reach Trumble’s 141 total, he has virtually doubled his tally in the next two years to rush to 269. And with so many left-handers on offer in the England batting line-up and the prospect of the ball spinning away from the bat, there could be a rich harvest for him in the Tests ahead.

“Lyon is going to be an important bowler for us,” said Smith. “He’s been bowling particularly well, In fact, he’s bowling as well as I’ve seen him bowl.”