Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg set up a chart comparing and contrasting the top two off-spinners in the world right now. R Ashwin and Nathan Lyon have been in the game for for a decade, with the latter recently surpassing 400 Test wickets.
Both have made a reputation for themselves in red ball cricket and have been their country’s first choice spinner. While the art of off-spin is fading in limited-overs cricket, it thrives in the game’s longest format.
Lyon’s style is more traditional, according to Hogg, whereas Ashwin’s subtle variations bring a lot more to the table.
“Ashwin has got some other deliveries into his armory, which makes him more of an attacking option than Nathan Lyon. He has got the cannon ball, where he rolls his fingers down the seam. He also has got the carrom ball, where he flicks the seam with his middle finger. That’s the one that turns the other way. He has got more variations as well to bamboozle the batsmen.” Hogg said
On multiple occasions, the 35-year-old has bowled real leg-spin as a variation, honing his variations in white-ball cricket before incorporating it into his natural style with the red ball, where he has arguably found success.
Despite being off-spinners, they play significantly different roles in their respective teams, according to the former spinner. Hogg pointed out that India uses Ashwin as a wicket-taker, whilst Lyon plays a more modest role in national colors.
Ravichandran Ashwin
“Both players are slightly different in their roles within the team. Ashwin is used more as a wicket-taking option whereas Lyon usually holds up one end to bowl as many overs as he can to allow the fast bowlers in the Australian team to have a rest. That’s why opposition teams should go after Lyon, making the Australian captain go to his fast bowlers more often.” he said
Conditions must be taken into account, with India having a far more spin-friendly environment than Australia. Hogg concluded by stating that Australia, where Lyon has spent the majority of his career bowling, is the most challenging place to bowl spin.
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