England vs Australia, Nathan Lyon ‘didn’t really see’ Bazball, injury, cricket news

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon has boldly claimed he “didn’t really see” Bazball during the opening two Tests of the recent Ashes campaign.

Since Brendon McCullum took charge of the Test side, England has persisted with an attacking brand of cricket, colloquially dubbed ‘Bazball’. However, after winning ten of their first 11 Tests in the ‘Bazball’ era, Ben Stokes’ side suffered an agonising one-run loss to New Zealand in Wellington despite enforcing the follow-on.

England then lost back-to-back Ashes contests in Birmingham and London in June, with Australia retaining the coveted after run after the fourth Test in Manchester ended as a washout.

Lyon claimed nine wickets in three innings before sustaining a calf injury during the second Test at Lord’s, ruling him out for the remainder of the series. The off-spinner conceded 4.00 runs per over across both matches as England’s batters attempted to smack him out of the attack.

However, during the series opener at Edgbaston, several of England’s recognised batters threw their wicket away after making a decent start, most notably Joe Root in the second innings. England declared on day one after registering 393 runs, a decision that backfired dramatically a few days later when the lost the match by two wickets.

The Australians effectively tamed Bazball until the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford, where they were completely blown away by England’s aggressive batting.

Speaking to SEN’s The Run Home this week, Lyon downplayed the hype surrounding Bazball, lamenting England’s inability to adjust their tempo pending the match situation.

“I know everyone keeps talking about Bazball, to be honest, I didn’t really see Bazball … throughout my two Tests again them,” Lyon said.

“I think there’s a lot of smoke and mirrors with Bazball, if I’m being honest with you, and I feel like if you’re going to play an aggressive brand of cricket anyway, it’s about being able to go up and down in gears and understanding the moments in the game.”

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Lyon, who this week signed a three-year Big Bash League deal with the Melbourne Renegades, has not ruled out returning to England in four years for the 2027 Ashes, hoping for one final shot at winning the urn on foreign soil.

“I feel like having this injury, coming home and watching the guys play the three Test matches has really driven me to get back there and make sure I’m back playing cricket,” he continued.

“My hunger for the game has probably gone to a new level, this has allowed me to have a little bit more time off during my rehab, sit back, reflect and reset some goals and find a really decent purpose for me.

“I’m definitely not writing off going back to England for the Ashes … the finish line for me hasn’t even popped up in my eyesight yet, I’ve still got a lot of cricket left in me in my eyes and a lot to offer the Renegades, New South Wales cricket but also Australia.”