Image courtesy of: Zimbio
“I feel confident in my own skill set to get the job done”
Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon has announced that the baggy greens do not need to bring in a second spinner for the rest of the Ashes series as he is “more than happy to take on the responsibility of being the No.1 spinner”.
Lyon added that he was hoping to build on the four wickets he took during the first Test in Brisbane.
“I’m more than happy to take on the responsibility of being the No.1 spinner and hopefully get a few overs under my belt,” he said. “I feel confident in my own skill set to get the job done.
“Right now I’ll have to keep bowling well and keep trying to perform for Australia and hopefully get a couple more victories.
“It’s going to be a new environment down there with the new stands and the whole new oval pretty much and the new drop-in pitch.
“I’ve learnt a fair amount about my game and what I need to do and what I need to do to get better, so fingers crossed there’s a little bit more spin down there and we’ll see how we go.”
Lyon stated that he did not partake in the war of words during the first Test, but admitted that he enjoyed watching the Australian pace bowlers rough up the English batsmen with their short-pitched bowling.
“I’m definitely the quiet one,” he said. “I’m the spinner. I can’t bounce anyone out, can I?
“I’m staying out of that. I will worry about what I can control and that’s trying to bowl well and playing well for Australia.”
Meanwhile, Australia head coach Darren Lehmann revealed that Lyon was over the moon to have gotten the opportunity to sing the team song, Beneath the Southern Cross, for the second time in his career after the baggy greens crushed England by 381 runs in Brisbane.
“It was his first performance as band leader following Mike Hussey’s retirement,” Lehmann said. “We could tell he was nervous, but he pulled it off well after a Test in which he did really well to take four wickets and, significantly, all of them were prized victims.”