Lyon revels in old school approach to county stint

Nathan Lyon called upon 'old school' tactics against rival batters during his recent stint with county outfit Lancashire and believes the novel experience provided ideal preparation for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign against India.

Lyon finished his eight-match first-class-tenure in England earlier this month as Lancashire's leading wicket-taker prior to the mid-season hiatus for The Hundred, claiming 26 scalps at an average of 30.38.

But it was as much the workload as the wickets – he sent down 308 overs, second only to fellow off-spinner Simon Harmer from Essex (324) in the county competition's top division – that made an impression on Lyon prior to his return to Australia this week.

And it wasn't only the physical challenge that exercised him during a cold an often damp early British summer.

Despite being part of four Ashes tours since 2013, Lyon's most recent outing against county batters was the 2015 tour game at Northamptonshire when Australia fielded a near-Test strength outfit in the wake of a humiliating loss to England at Trent Bridge.

As a result, he knew little about the strengths and weaknesses of many rivals he encountered when playing for Lancashire and deliberately avoided undertaking too much pre-game research and instead formulated an attack plan in the heat of battle.

"That was one thing I really enjoyed, going into games and not knowing too much about guys I was playing against," Lyon told cricket.com.au.

"Then it was up to me to use a few old-fashioned skills I guess, to try and work out ways of bowling to them pretty much the old-fashioned way, on the go.

"It's not something we get to do much in Test cricket, and I found that a really enjoyable challenge."

When India last toured Australia in 2020-21 and recorded a remarkable 2-1 series win to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a cornerstone of their success was the number of largely untried players they were forced to deploy due to injury and unavailability.

Across four matches they fielded a total of 20 players, five of whom were Test debutants and a further two whose experience stretched five Tests or fewer.

And while Australia's unchanged bowling line-up for that series – Lyon, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – had access to video footage and data analysis of their unheralded rivals, they were compelled to come up with strategies on the fly.

Lyon has therefore utilised his unfamiliarity with the county circuit to further enhance the skills that have already netted him 530 Test wickets, more than any other off-spinner bat Sri Lanka's Muthiah Muralidaran (800).

It's just one element of Lyon's unprecedented off-season in which he utilised his first winter fully free from international playing commitments – notwithstanding last year's injury rehabilitation and COVID19-impacted years – to prepare for a huge Test summer.

With so much competitive bowling under his belt, Lyon will focus on fitness during an eight-week lead-in to the Australia summer with a program to be mapped out in consultation with men's team coach Andrew McDonald in Brisbane next month.

Then, after the Australia domestic schedule was released by Cricket Australia this week, Lyon is eyeing at least three Sheffield Shield games for New South Wales to fine tune his game before the much-awaited India series begins at Perth Stadium on November 22. 

"I think the GPS (athlete tracking data) showed I've actually bowled more balls over that eight-weeks with Lancashire than I ever have over the same period in my career, so they certainly got their money's worth," Lyon said.

"But it's been good to focus on all parts of the game, not just bowling but making sure my recovery's been good and also staying on top of my strength and running work.

"I've really enjoyed it and I think it's probably the best version of a pre-season if I'm being honest, just allowing me to keep improving, keep learning and keep bowling."

The 36-year-old claimed a highlight of his Lancashire tenure was playing alongside long-time Ashes rival James Anderson against Nottinghamshire earlier this month, although he admits there were times the experience felt a little surreal.

"Jimmy was pretty cool, and it was great to spend some time with him close up after so many years playing against him for Australia," Lyon said of the 41-year-old who called time on his Test career at Lord's recently.

"I thoroughly enjoyed his company, and fielding at mid-off while he was bowling and talking to him mid-over and mid-spell was a cool experience.

"It all went really well, but it was a bit weird saying 'come on Jimmy' when he had the ball in hand, and I felt a bit sick when I heard him saying 'nice Garry'."

Even though Lyon is now almost exclusively a red-ball cricketer, it may prove difficult to find another suitable window for a return stint in county ranks given Australia's immediate Test commitments.

In 2025 they are scheduled to tour the West Indies for two Tests in June-July and remain on track to defend the ICC World Test Championship crown which is again expected to be held in England mid-year.

And 2026 features away Test campaigns against India and South Africa, before the 2027 Ashes in the UK which Lyon has already identified as an ambition even though he will be on the cusp of 40 by then.

However, given the individual success of his recent sojourn – as opposed to team fortunes, with Lancashire in seventh place with two wins from nine starts – Lyon claims he would jump at the chance to return to the county competition if his schedule allowed.

"I thoroughly enjoyed Lancashire, they've been great people and a really good county to be a part of," he said.

"I'd definitely look at going again there's no doubt about that but it's just going to be dependent on what cricket we've got on the cards.

"Obviously my priority is Test cricket for Australia, so preparation for that is going to be key."