Nathan Lyon took 21 wickets during the Ashes series
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin admitted that he was highly impressed by Nathan Lyon’s performance during the recent Ashes series and compared his impact to that of the legendary Shane Warne.
Lyon was the only specialist spinner in Australia’s squad for all five Tests, but he finished with 21 wickets at an average of 29.23 as the Baggy Greens cruised to a comprehensive 4-0 win.
Haddin admitted that whenever Lyon was given the ball, there was an atmosphere that something was going to happen.
The 40-year-old recalled that Warne, who is Australia’s leading wicket-taker in Tests, had a similar aura about him whenever he came on to bowl.
“What we’ve seen with Nathan Lyon over the past 12 months, he’s really matured into a leader in this group and a lot of our energy comes off the back of what Nathan does in the field,” Haddin told the Big Sports Breakfast radio show as quoted by foxsport.com.au. “I heard England saying they thought they’d be able to go after Nathan Lyon and put some pressure back on some of our fast bowlers.
“But he’s turned into a world class spinner. And every time he comes on, you actually feel like something’s going to happen. A bit like — and I know it’s the great Shane Warne — but every time Warney came on you thought something was going to happen.
“I got that feeling with Nathan Lyon through the series. Every time he came on I thought something was going to happen.”
Haddin also attributed Australia’s victory to the bowlers’ ability to slice through England’s tailenders with relative ease.
As a result of this, Haddin feels England’s top and middle order were under pressure to pile on the runs.
“The one that stood out for me was the way our bowlers went after their tail,” he said. “It put a lot of doubt in the England camp and a lot of pressure (on) their top six batters — they were going to have to do the bulk of the runs because our boys were going to go after their tail.
“We showed that during the series, once they were five out they were all out because we put a lot of pressure on them from the start.”