Australian spinner Nathan Lyon mocks England’s ‘Bazball’

Lyon said he did not see ‘Bazball’ -- named after England Test coach Brendon McCullum -- in the two Ashes matches he played before he got injured and missed the next three.

Australia’s Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon celebrate after winning the first Ashes test. | Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters

Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon brushed off claims that “Bazball” -- England’s brand of aggressive cricket -- has revolutionised the sport.

Lyon said he did not see ‘Bazball’ -- named after England Test coach Brendon McCullum -- in the two Ashes matches he played before he got injured and missed the next three.

“I’m 2-0 against Bazball so I am happy,” Lyon joked in an interview with an Australian broadcast channel.

“It’s a load of s***, if you ask me. It’s a brand of cricket that the English want to keep going with. Now, it’s in the dictionary, which is pretty extraordinary. I know everyone keeps talking about BazBall, to be honest, I didn’t really see BazBall… throughout my two Tests against them.”

“I look at the Australian cricket team and the batters we’ve had, David Warner for example… I’ve seen him score hundreds in a session and that’s off playing an attacking brand of cricket.

“I think there’s a lot of smoke and mirrors with BazBall, if I’m being honest with you, and I feel like if you’re going to play an aggressive brand of cricket anyway, it’s about being able to go up and down in gears and understanding the moments in the game,” he added.

Australia retained the Ashes with the five-match series ending at 2-2 last year.