Australia vs South Africa: The match-ups
AUSTRALIA have an uncomfortable relationship with finger spinners. It’s in their DNA, and the feeling dates back to leg-spinning legends like Richie Benaud and Clarrie Grimmett and runs through to a blond surfer-lookalike from Victoria, who turned the game on its head during the 1990s and early this century.
Shane Warne made the art of leg-spin cool again, and it has remained in vogue Down Under ever since. So, when off-spinner Nathan Lyon, the antithesis of Warne in every sense, came along after “Warnie” called time on his Test career after 708 wickets, the locals were not impressed.
For people who had been reared watching Warne routinely flummox even some of the finest batting talents with an intoxicating concoction of big turning leg-breaks, flippers, wrong’ uns, zooters and sliders, the sight of Lyon simply landing the ball on the same spot every ball did nothing for the imagination.
But there lies the beauty of Lyon. At no stage has he tried to emulate the great “leggie” or felt intimidated that he was the 11th slow-bowling option who the Baggy Greens had turned to since Warne’s retirement in 2007.
He simply does what he does and tries to do it as effectively as he can, with no airs and graces. It is a formula that has brought him 211 wickets at an average of 32.80 from 57 Tests. It’s not quite Warnesque, but it does rank him as the leading Australian Test off-spinner and No 13 overall in the country’s 140-year history in the format.
And although he is not outwardly aggressive like his predecessor, the 28-year-old is not a defensive bowler. Unlike regular off-spinners who tend to drift towards middle and leg-stump, Lyon is committed to bringing batsmen forward by landing the ball outside the off-stump in order to maximise the turn and bounce on offer.
His character will be put to the test when he encounters the Proteas’ Quinton de Kock. Manufactured in the same mould as Australia’s swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman of a previous era, Adam Gilchrist, De Kock’s first mode of defence is always attack.
The 23-year-old recently became the first South African wicketkeeper to strike half-centuries in each innings of a Test, though that came at the top of the order when he opened with Stephen Cook against New Zealand.
It is unlikely that De Kock will open again next week at the Waca – the venue for the first Test – now that Dean Elgar has recovered from injury.
This would push him back to his regular middle-order slot – and bang into a head-on collision with Lyon. Their duel will make for riveting viewing, with De Kock’s natural instinct not to allow the spinner to settle into any form of rhythm.
He would have closely monitored the Sri Lankan batsmen’s strategy against Lyon in the recent Test series. Despite operating in helpful conditions, the Australian spinner struggled to adapt his lengths when the Sri Lankans attacked him from the outset.
De Kock is likely to show similar intent. He was super-aggressive against Black Caps left-armer Mitchell Santner during the winter series at home, often tip-toeing down the wicket to meet the ball on the full and despatch it through the covers.
He also jumped back into his crease to punish anything short through both the off and leg-side when Santner tried to adjust his lengths.
Lyon is unlikely to be concerned about De Kock’s forceful tactics, though. Every attacking shot is an opportunity and while Lyon has never claimed a wicket via a stumping in his entire career, the fact that the South African stumper does hit the ball in the air very often will encourage him.
It certainly worked for Santner, with De Kock perishing in the first innings of the first Test in Durban even after smashing the Kiwi spinner for successive boundaries.
The Proteas management are unlikely to rein in De Kock, as they believe he possesses that much sought-after X-factor – the ability to change the course of a Test within one session. Batting coach Neil McKenzie, along with head coach Russell Domingo, will instead focus on fine-tuning his shot selection and work on his game awareness.
They will be cautious not to over-complicate matters as De Kock enjoys simplifying things, and he demonstrated just that with a century during the opening tour match against a Cricket Australia XI under lights in Adelaide last week.
Speaking about batting against the pink ball, De Kock said: “I didn’t find any difference. I am not one to overthink it. A ball is a ball. I just play the way I should be playing in that situation; it’s no difference to me.”
With both De Kock and Lyon prime advocates of the “KISS” (Keep It Straight and Simple) policy, it may come down to who deals with pressure best.