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Australian veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon brushed aside any notion of ‘Bazball’ being exhibited by England during the two Ashes Tests he participated in earlier this year, prior to missing the subsequent three matches due to a calf injury.
The term ‘Bazball’ stemmed from the nickname ‘Baz’ associated with England’s Test coach Brendon McCullum. Dismissing the concept, Lyon expressed, “I’m 2-0 against Bazball so I’m content. It’s baseless if you ask me. It’s a style of cricket that the English wish to perpetuate. It’s even made its way into the dictionary, which is quite extraordinary,” Lyon shared on Channel 7’s Front Bar show.
The Ashes series concluded in a 2-2 draw, overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Jonny Bairstow’s stumping by Alex Carey in the second Test at Lord’s, triggering a significant debate over the ‘spirit of cricket.’
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Lyon, holding 496 Test wickets for Australia, placed responsibility on Bairstow for the stumping incident, highlighting that Bairstow had ventured out of his crease when Carey executed the throw. “It’s straightforward. Stay within your crease to avoid getting dismissed.”
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While observing the match from the changing rooms due to his injury, Lyon remarked on the intensity of his celebration and the crowd’s reaction, labeling it as extraordinary. However, he also mentioned the unsavory response from members of the MCC in the Long Room at Lord’s, resulting in bans for abusing the Australian players during their return to the dressing room.
Reflecting on the English reaction to the stumping incident, Lyon found it amusing, stating, “We found it quite amusing. It seemed more likely that we would get sued than physically confronted. The situation was rather surprising for us. The scenario after lunch resembled a gathering of schoolchildren being reprimanded by the headmaster.”