FOUR TO GO
Birmingham belting just the start, Paine insists
AUSTRALIA is now a “dangerous” team with the best since Sir Donald Bradman, Steve Smith, making runs and Nathan Lyon taking wickets, says Test captain Tim Paine.
But after the Edgbaston demolition of England, a lid was firmly thrust on the excitement of the drought-breaking victory because it was just one part of a five-step Ashes winning plan.
The Australian dressing room was still rocking hours after the final-day rout which produced a first victory at Edgbaston in 18 years.
Paine could not escape the impact of Smith, who he said was “probably the best Test batsman we have ever seen” after his twin centuries earned man-of-the-match honours and universal praise.
But amid the basking in Smith’s greatness, and the euphoria of the win, Paine knows the job is far from done.
He’s all too aware Australia has not won a full series in England in that same 18-year time span and, while celebrating the Birmingham belting, Paine said that message has been rammed home.
“You’ve got to keep a lid on it. There’s still four Tests to go and we aren’t here to win the first Test at Edgbaston — we’re here to win the Ashes,” Paine said. “We’ve been really clear on that for some time.
“We’re obviously happy to win the first Test. It’s a huge step in the right direction, but we’re certainly not satisfied with that. Tonight will be quite a different feel to most Test wins we’ve had. We’re over here to do something that a lot of teams from Australia have struggled to do. And we realise that if we can do it, it will be spoken about for a hell of a long time.
AN ENDLESS supply of Test wickets for Australia through the Ashes is captain Tim Paine’s prediction for Nathan Lyon after declaring the superstar spinner was only getting better.
Lyon, who at 31 is a relative baby as spinners go, roasted England with a nine-wicket haul at Edgbaston which included his 350th Test scalp.
He will likely pass Dennis Lillee in the series, possibly as soon as the next Test at Lord’s, and become the third highest Australian wicket-taker of all-time.
It’s an unimaginable high station in the history of Australian cricket for an unassuming offspinner who has grown from a sometimes expendable option early in his career to the best spinner in the world.
Lyon is just three wickets behind the great “DK” now with 352 Test scalps, including out-ofanswers England all-rounder Moeen Ali now nine times in his past 11 Ashes innings after getting him twice at Birmingham.
He never looked like not getting Ali out in his final-day rout, taking 6-49 — his 15th five-wicket haul, which included being on a hat-trick after he removed Stuart Broad for a first-ball duck.
But the bunnies are lining up for the man they call the “GOAT” and Paine said Lyon, who has played 87 Tests, was showing no signs of slowing up.
“He could get plenty. As long as he wants to go for, I reckon. He doesn’t seem to have too many niggles or injuries over his career,” Paine said.
“The ball is coming out as well as ever. He’s a bit the same as Smithy [Steve Smith], I feel like every Test match or series they seem to get better, which is astonishing at their age. But I think if you come and watch both of them train you see why they keep improving and keep getting better and are a great example for the rest of our group.”
Lyon is the weapon England doesn’t have, with Ali also supposed to do their spinning. But he was a non-factor on a turning Edgbaston wicket, finishing with the ugly figures of 3-172.
Lyon helped trigger the England collapse by bowling opener Jason Roy in what was an ugly exit. And England captain Joe Root was another of Lyon’s lastday victims, and smashed his pads in frustration after delivering a catch to Cameron Bancroft at short-leg.
But Root refused to concede Lyon was in their heads. “Conditions were in his favour and he exploited them very well,” was Root’s explanation
Paine said Lyon was a force now in all conditions, on all surfaces, and while the pitch at Edgbaston helped him out, he was now such a phenomenon he could win his country a match anywhere.
“He can take five wickets on any day and when you have a spinner like that it can change a game very quickly,” Paine said.