“It's a load of s***,” Nathan Lyon plays down hype around ‘Bazball’ revolutionizing Test cricket

Lyon said he did not see ‘Bazball’ during the two Tests he played against England in this year’s Ashes.

By Salman Anjum - 25 Nov, 2023

England’s aggressive approach towards Test cricket, also known as ‘Bazball’, has captured the imagination of the cricketing world.

With this style, the Three Lions have produced impressive results under the regime of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum over the last one year. While England defeated New Zealand, South Africa and India (one-off Test at Edgbaston) at home, they whitewashed Pakistan away from home and played a 1-1 drawn series in New Zealand.

England didn’t change their approach in the Ashes 2023 as well. Despite being 2-0 down, they played fearlessly to bounce back and level the five-match series 2-2 against Australia.

However, veteran Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has dismissed the notion that ‘Bazball’ has revolutionized the game.

Lyon said he did not see ‘Bazball’ during the two Tests he played against England in this year’s Ashes.

"I'm 2-0 against Bazball so I am happy," Lyon said on Channel 7's Front Bar programme. "It's a load of s***, if you ask me. It's a brand of cricket that the English want to keep going with. Now, it's in the dictionary, which is pretty extraordinary."

It was not the first time Lyon took a dig at ‘Bazball’. Earlier this year, he cited the example of David Warner’s hundreds in a session to say that the Aussies have been playing an aggressive brand of cricket for quite some time.

"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,” Lyon had told SEN 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," he added.

Australia had retained the Ashes in August this year with the five-match series ending at 2-2 on English soil.

By Salman Anjum - 25 Nov, 2023

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