The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Root dismisses Lyon’s ‘bizarre’ Ashes rant
England captain says Aussie could have been following orders
Joe Root wonders if old chum Nathan Lyon was following team orders when he fanned the flames with a pre-Ashes rant.
Lyon has made a series of incendiary claims about England’s Ashes campaigns past and present.
Asked if Australia are out to end some careers against their current opponents, as fast bowler Mitchell Johnson helped to four years ago, Lyon replied that he hoped so – adding it would be “good to get (Root) dropped again”, as he was for the final Test in 2013-14.
The England captain, who leads his side into battle in the first Test in Brisbane at midnight UK time tonight, was responding to an interview in which off-spinner Lyon also recalled England’s wicketkeeper Matt Prior wanted to go home mid-series on the last trip because he was “scared”.
“It is a bit bizarre,” said Root, who has a suspicion Lyon may have been specifically deployed by the hosts to ramp up the pre-match ‘sledging’.
He added: “I think you can sort of see through it a little as well.
“Whether that’s come from him or it’s maybe a team strategy – or he’s just taken it upon himself to do that – who knows?”
None of that uncertainty stopped Root having a slightly more subtle poke back at Lyon, who was a late starter in international cricket but has gone on to be perhaps Australia’s best ever offspinner.
“I played club cricket with him in Prospect, and at the time we weren’t sure who was the first spinner ... he has obviously come a long way since then,” he said, noting – as others have – that Lyon may have invited some extra attention on his own performance.
“The more guys talk going into a series, the more they put pressure on themselves,” added Root’
It is a bit bizarre . . . I think you can sort of see through it a little. JOE ROOT