‘I did that on purpose': Lyon comes clean on tactical sledging ahead of Bazball Ashes bout

The Age

5 days ago

Upon hearing that England were talking up tactical sledging during their hot-tempered recent series against India, Nathan Lyon's eyebrows raised with amusement, but also recognition.
It's been eight years since Lyon was the author of his own premeditated barrage, an episode that still crops up when England talk of touring Australia.
'Could we end some careers? I hope so,' Lyon had said in a series of pointed remarks to the touring English press that recall a very different time in the battle for the Ashes.
For one thing, England held the urn in 2017, after winning comfortably at home in 2015. It was also not so long since they had won a series in Australia, a resounding 3-1 triumph in 2010-11, with a trio of innings victories that heralded enormous introspection down under.
And the Australian team assembling in Brisbane that November had already been subjected to plenty of criticism from within, after the selectors surprised many by picking Tim Paine and Cameron Bancroft to start the series. Lyon wished to turn the tables as well as the ball.
'Looking back at that, I did that on purpose,' Lyon told this masthead 100 days out from the first ball of the Ashes, on November 21 in Perth. 'I wanted to make it about England, take a lot of pressure off 'Painey' and Cam Bancroft. Painey was coming back into the side, Cam was making his debut, so there was a lot of pressure on our batting group, especially those young guys.
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'I felt like my game was in a really good area, where I could be confident in backing up my skill [with words]. I wanted to take some pressure off them. That's part of the game – I think I did that, all the attention came to me, which is all right.
'I've always had the approach that I'll do whatever it takes for this team, and whatever my role needs, whether it is taking heat, I'm more than happy to do that, or bowling off-breaks or going out and doing nightwatchman.'