The Ashes 2013: The 'Lyon' hearted performance slips under the radar

Nathan Lyon’s performance has been swept under the rug on far too many occasions by Australia

There were quite a number of eyebrows and many questions raised just before the beginning of the first Test at Trent Bridge when Glenn McGrath handed over a brand new baggy green to Ashton Agar.

“Ashton Agar, really?”

“Why was he in the squad?”

“Is Darren Lehmann trying to pull a fast one by blooding a 19-year-old?”

All sorts of reasoning ensued. Perhaps this was a memo for Kevin Pietersen who has had his problems against the left-arm spinners. Rangana Herath, Pragyan Ojha and even the “pie-chucker” Yuvraj Singh have caused trouble for the big man.

By the end of the second day, Agar was making headlines all over the cricketing world. Batting at number 11, he had smashed a free-spirited, record-breaking knock of 98. Even the Poms were captivated by his disarming smile.

With the ball though – his premier profession – he was, at best, steady. He did pick up two wickets on a wearing pitch in the second innings but quite clearly he was a work in progress; some harsh critics even went to the extent of saying that he undid the good work of the seamers.

Ashton Agar wasn’t as impressive with the ball as he was with the bat

In the second Test at Lord’s, his dismissals made him look more like a tail-ender with the bat – a typical mix-up with the partner followed by an edge to the keeper to a ball angled across him – and he was out-bowled by the part-time spinner Steven Smith. The novelty had worn off, and after registering another score of 98 – 0 for 98 in 29 overs in England’s second innings – he was dropped from the team for the third Test.

All this while, as the Australian cricket followers were getting used to the highs and lows of Agar, Nathan Lyon, supposedly Australia’s lead spinner, was left sulking, perhaps beset by a sense of betrayal.

It also didn’t help that the most consistent of the dozen or so Australian spinners since Shane Warne, Lyon, in his last Test against India at Delhi, had finished with a career best 9-wicket haul, including a seven-for in the first innings.

With an average of 32.40 in 24 Tests, Lyon isn’t one to give sleepless nights to Test line-ups, but he has been decent with his efforts. He is a bowler in the classical mould who has no air of mystery surrounding him. To take wickets, he has to outfox the batsmen with his flight. His guile and subtle variations with the length are his sole allies.

Lyon lacks his captain’s trust

But what has hampered the honest off-spinner the most in his career so far is the fact that he lacks his captain’s confidence.