Cape Town - Australia have an uncomfortable relationship with a finger spinner. It’s in their DNA ranging back to leg-spinning legends like Richie Benaud and Clarrie Grimmett through to a blond surfer-lookalike from Victoria that turned the game on its head during the 1990’s and early Noughties.
Shane Warne made the forgotten art cool again. And it has remained in vogue Down Under ever since. So, when Nathan Lyon, the antithesis of Warne in every sense, came along after “Warnie” hung up his spinning fingers for Australia after 708 Test wickets, the locals were not impressed.
For people who had been reared watching Warne routinely flummox even some of the finest batting talents with a intoxicating concoction of big turning leg-breaks, flippers, wrong’uns, zooters and sliders the sight of Lyon simply landing the ball on the same spot every ball did nothing for the imagination.
But right there lays the beauty of Lyon. At no stage has he tried to emulate the great leggie or felt intimidated with the fact that he was the 11th slow bowling option the Baggy Greens have turned to since Warne’s retirement in 2007.
He simply does what he does and tries to do it as effectively as he can with no airs and graces. It is a formula that has brought him 211 wickets at an average of 32.80 from 57 Tests. It’s not quite Warnesque, but does rank him as the leading off-spinner and No 13 overall in Australia’s Test 140-year history.
And although he is not outwardly aggressive like his predecessor, the 28-year-old New South Welshman is certainly not a defensive bowler. Unlike regular off-spinners who tend to drift towards middle and leg stump, Lyon is committed to bringing the batsman forward by landing the ball outside the off stump in order to maximise the turn and bounce on offer.
Lyon’s character will certainly be put to the test when he encounters South Africa’s wunderkind Quinton de Kock. Manufactured in the same mould as the Australia’s own swashbuckling wicket-keeper/batsman of a previous era Adam Gilchrist, De Kock’s first mode of defence is always attack.
The 23-year-old recently became the first South African wicket-keeper to strike half-centuries in each innings of a Test, although that came at the top of the order where he opened with Stephen Cook. It is unlikely that De Kock will walk out to the open the innings again at the Waca - the venue for the first Test - now that Dean Elgar has recovered from injury.
This would push him back to his regular middle-order slot and bang into a head-on collision with Lyon. This contest will make for a riveting viewing with De Kock’s natural instinct not to allow the spinner to settle into any form a rhythm.
De Kock would certainly have closely monitored the Sri Lankan batsmen’s strategy against Lyon in the recent Test series. Despite operating in helpful conditions, the Australian spinner struggled to adapt his lengths when the Sri Lankans attacked him from the outset.
De Kock is likely to show similar intent. He was uber aggressive against New Zealand’s left-armer Mitchell Santner during the winter Test series at home, often tip-toeing down the wicket to meet the ball on the full to despatch through the covers.
He also jumped back into his crease to punish anything short through both the off and leg-side when Santner tried to adjust his lengths.
Lyon is unlikely to be perturbed with De Kock’s forceful tactics though. Every attacking shot is an opportunity and although Lyon has never claimed a wicket by virtue of a stumping in his entire career, the fact that South Africa’s stumper does hit the ball in the air very often will encourage him.
It certainly worked for Santner with De Kock perishing in the first innings of the first Test in Durban even after smashing the Kiwi spinner for successive boundaries.
The Proteas management are unlikely to rein in De Kock for they believe he possesses that much sought after X-factor to change the course of a Test within one session. Batting coach Neil McKenzie, along with head coach Russell Domingo, will instead focus on fine-tuning De Kock’s shot selection and work on his game awareness.
They will though be cautious not to over complicate matters too for De Kock enjoys simplifying matters, as he demonstrated with a century during the opening tour match against a Cricket Australia XI last week under lights in Adelaide.
"I didn't find any difference (in reference to the pink ball)," de Kock said. "I am not one to over think it. A ball is a ball. I just play the way I should be playing in that situation; it's no difference to me."
With both De Kock and Lyon prime advocates of the “KISS” (Keep It Straight and Simple) policy it may come down to who deals with the pressure exerted best.
Independent Media