Lyon ‘didn’t really see Bazball’

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon has said that he "didn't really see Bazball" during the two Tests he played against England in Ashes 2023.

Lyon played the first two Tests of the thrilling Ashes series — at Edgbaston and Lord's — before a calf injury ruled him out.

The spinner was brutal in his assessment of England's style of play under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, famously dubbed 'Bazball', and played down the hype around it.

"I know everyone keeps talking about Bazball, to be honest, I didn't really see Bazball… throughout my two Tests against them," Lyon told SEN Cricket.

The Australian said that the aggressive brand of batting deployed by England should be complemented by the flexibility to change gears when needed.

"I'm 2-0 in my Tests against Bazball," Lyon said, reminding that Australia did not lose both Tests he featured in during the Ashes.

"I look at the Australian cricket team and the batters we've had, David Warner for example. I've seen him score hundreds in a session and that's off playing an attacking brand of cricket.

"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."

Australia won both games in which Lyon played while losing two and drawing one in the last three matches of the series.

The off-spinner, who turns 36 this year, did not rule out the possibility of returning to England in 2027 for another Ashes series, stating that his "hunger for the game has probably gone to a new level" after some time away due to injury.

"I'll tell you one thing, I'm definitely not joking about going back to the Ashes," Lyon said.

"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."