Test rival heaps praise on Lyon

Nathan Lyon, the world's third-ranked Test off-spinner, has received high praise from an unlikely source - the world's No.2 off-spinner, India's Ravichandran Ashwin.

Amid all the hype surrounding Australia's pace attack during the Ashes, Lyon has quietly gone about his business to be the equal-second leading wicket-taker in the series with 12 scalps at 26.

And he hasn't simply come into the attack late in the innings to clean up the tail; eight of Lyon's 12 wickets have been top seven batsman and he's removed England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler three times from just 19 balls bowled to him in the series, conceding only eight runs in the process.

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Lyon has dismissed Jos Buttler three times in three Tests // Getty Images

The off-spinner delivered a sensational spell early on day two of Australia's heavy defeat in Edgbaston last week, taking the wicket of Buttler and confounding Moeen Ali despite being ultimately unable to take his wicket.

The role of unassuming second fiddle is something the 27-year-old has become accustomed to during his Test career; he recently overtook Hugh Trumble as the most prolific Australian off-spinner of all time, but the feat was achieved in the dead of an Australian night in Kingston rather than the sharp focus of a Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

But Lyon's performances in England - and specifically the manner in which he’s changed his method of bowling in UK conditions - have impressed Ashwin.

"I really like some of the aspects of Nathan Lyon, not just technically," Ashwin said ahead of India's Test series against Sri Lanka, which starts next week.

"The last Ashes ... when he came to England he changed his action quite a bit. He was getting really side on at the crease and producing some kind of momentum at the crease. That was a different change.

"To see someone like him make a change in international cricket - I've not seen many international cricketers do it - it was pleasing for me because from a spinner’s point of view it's that much harder playing away from home.

"The basics don't exactly stick on in the same way; if you're doing something in India, it doesn't always work abroad. So you must be prepared to give it all and put everything in, like you go to a casino and put everything in and hope the hand wins.

"That's something he did and I started admiring him for that.

"I think he's a fine off-spinner, he's got everything right now.

"He's getting the release fine and he's coming up and over (the ball). So it's something I enjoy watching."

Lyon has easily out-bowled England's frontline spinner Moeen so far in this series, despite the Worcestershire product taking five crucial wickets in a near man-of-the-match performance in the first Test.

Considered an off-spinning allrounder last summer when England batted him at No.6, Moeen has been far more effective with the bat than ball against Australia despite being demoted down the order to No.8.

The dashing left-hander produced crucial, game-changing half-centuries in both Cardiff and Birmingham and his series average of 38 with the blade - at a strike rate in excess of 70 - off-sets his disappointing return of nine wickets at 45 with the ball.

Watch: Moeen defies Australia with counter-attacking innings

Writing in The Independent, English journalist Stephen Brenkley heaped praise on Moeen for his counter-attacking batting and held out hope that the 28-year-old could become a genuine Test spinner later in his still fledgling career.

But Brenkley cautioned that Moeen's lack of control had become a weak link that the Australians could take advantage of at little or no risk.

"He offers his captain little control nor the certainty that he will tear through opponents should conditions ever be helpful," Brenkley wrote.

"Part of this is because of the way in which the matches are being played. Spinners are easy and certain targets in the contemporary long form of the game, though Nathan Lyon, Australia’s spinner is going at 3.50 an over and taking wickets much more readily.

"Moeen is bowling far too many bad balls, so the pressure built up on batsmen is relieved.

"Far from trying to smash him out of the attack there is evidence to suggest that Australia are content to wait now, aware that something loose will come along."

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