Lyon, Smith set to catch another Aussie Test record

Steve Smith's acrobatic snare at slip to dismiss former West Indies skipper Jason Holder in Perth prompted teammates to suggest he'd added some "mayo" by kicking up his heels, as if launching into a cartwheel, before completing the catch off Travis Head's bowling.

But it was an earlier and more straightforward effort – if there can be such a thing for close catchers against spin bowlers, when reacting in a split-second – off Nathan Lyon that bore far greater significance for Smith, and for Australian cricket.

In clinging on to the low offering from West Indian left-hander Kyle Mayers early on the final day of the opening NRMA Insurance Test at Perth Stadium last Sunday, Smith claimed his 51st catch from the bowling of Lyon.

That equals the record for the most potent (non-wicketkeeper) fielder-bowler combination in Australia's men's Test history.

Prior to last weekend, the benchmark belonged exclusively to Mark Taylor and the late Shane Warne with 51 catches, and with most of those also being the result of Taylor's expertise at first slip.

When Smith became aware he and Lyon now share that honour, with every chance of holding it in their own right during the second NRMA Insurance Test that starts at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, he flicked his spin-bowling teammate a text message to acknowledge the achievement.

"Smithy sent me that message yesterday saying congrats, and we were now equal with Tubby (Taylor) and Warney," Lyon told reporters in Adelaide today.

"When you see it like that, it's pretty remarkable and something we're both very proud of.

"And to have someone at first slip standing there like Steve Smith for 90 to 95 per cent of my career, it's been pretty special.

"I've obviously got a lot of confidence in having Smithy there, and he gives me a lot of feedback on different paces, how the shape's looking which are unbelievable cricket conversations to have.

"So to be equal with Tubby and Warney at the moment, hopefully we'll overtake them soon."

Those respective combinations could hardly present more of a contrast – with extrovert Warne fizzing down big-turning leg breaks, while understated Lyon wheels away using patient off-breaks and considerable overspin.

And it's not only their character and their cricket that present glaring contrasts.

Given that right-handed batters outnumber lefties four to one across the 145-year history of Test cricket, it makes sense that Warne would generate more chances for a fielder stationed at slip because he spun the ball away from right-handers.

It's surely for that reason the Warne-Taylor partnership set the Australia record for fielder-bowler catches (the record for keeper-bowler remains Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh with 95) from 66 matches the pair played together.

Smith and Lyon equalled that number in their 81st Test in unison, recognising that Smith (unlike Taylor) has not always been deployed as a slips catching specialist, as well as the increased difficulty Lyon must face in finding the outside edge against right-handers.

The only other fielder-bowler combinations to prove more productive in men's Tests are India's Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble (55 catches in 107 matches together), with the latter's leg spin providing the same benefit as Warne's against right-handers.

And the most successful pairing to date is Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene and the Test game's all-time leading wicket-taker Muttiah Muralidaran (77 from 96 Tests), noting that Muralidaran's off-spin was supplemented by a potent 'doosra' which meant he could spin the ball away from both right and left-handers.

Given that Lyon's repertoire does not include a 'doosra' or wrong-un, the fact he's been able to find the edge of right-hander's bats so regularly when spinning back into them is testament to his skills set, and to Smith's catching capability.

Of the eight wickets Lyon claimed in Perth, four of them were caught by Smith and all of those at slip with a demonstrable degree of difficulty.

Former Australia Test captain and wicketkeeper Tim Paine recently revealed the difficulty that came with catching behind the wicket when Lyon was bowling, especially on big-spinning pitches in subcontinent countries.

"If it is Nathan Lyon to a right-hander, I will close off, bring my right foot (outside foot to a right-handed batter) slightly forward of my back foot, because I know if it is spinning it is going to beat the inside edge more than the outside," Paine wrote in his book 'The Price Paid'.

"The thing that made him so difficult – apart from his bounce – was the ball that he had that went straight on and caught the (outside) edge.

"I'd been training all my life for someone like Nathan and believe me he is far harder to keep to than he looks.

"If you aren't on your toes when he is bowling, you will be found out quicker than any batsman.

"Nathan is a real test of your technique when he gets edges because it's his bounce and drift, not spin, that will take you down."

Lyon noted today the pitch at Perth Stadium played slower than Australia's bowlers had come to expect, which meant Smith was stationed even closer to batters than would normally be the case on faster strips where the ball carries further.

On several occasions, he was positioned so fine at slip to Lyon's bowling he was virtually standing behind keeper Alex Carey, which meant he was largely unable to see any potential chance until it had passed Carey's gloves, at which point Smith had precious little time to react.

Then there was the additional factor of Smith's ongoing hip complaint, which meant he experienced difficulty in crouching in preparation for catches at slip hence the extravagant dive to his left to complete the catch off Holder.

"Especially to right-handers, I'm still trying to bring in the outside edges – or both edges – and it can be a difficult catch," Lyon said of the art of slips catching to his bowling.

"With the ball usually spinning into the right-handers and they're obviously going away from the keeper or the slips fielders … but that's what training is for.

"I'm pretty happy with the way Smithy and Alex (Carey) are going at the moment."

The importance of catching off Lyon's bowling is further underscored by his career record, which reveals a remarkable 58.3 per cent of the 446 Test wickets he's captured to date have been the result of catches in the field.

It's a marked point of difference to other three most-successful spinners Test history – Muralidaran (44.4 per cent of his 800 wickets from field catches), Warne (45.8 per cent of his 708) and India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (43.89 per cent of 442).

Those statistics also reveal Lyon boasts a far more even split between right-hand and left-hand victims – 62.5 per cent of his wickets are right-handers – while Muralidaran and Warne respectively claimed right-handers as 76 and 75 per cent of their wickets.

The fact that Ashwin's current split is precisely 50-50 (221 right, 221 left) also highlights the reality that over the past decade the ratio of left-handers has grown from 20 per cent of Test batters to almost one-third.

Men's NRMA Insurance Test Series v West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 164 runs

Dec 8-12: Second Test, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Marquino Mindley, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Devon Thomas

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