'I didn't really see Bazball' - Lyon denounces England's famous ploy

Even as fans applauded England's resounding comeback during the Ashes 2023 and celebrated the side's ultraggressive style of play with the bat, Nathan Lyon denounced the whole strategy, insisting he saw little to nothing of it while he was present in the Australian attack for the first two games. 

Lyon, who was part of Australia's close-fought victories at Edgbaston and Lord's before being sidelined from the tour with a calf injury, said he stands "2-0 up" against 'Bazball' and tried to crush the hype that has tended to rally around England since skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum pioneered the whole strategy. 

Before losing the grip on proceedings across the final three Tests, particularly in losses in Headingley and The Oval, Australia did manage to tighten the screws on the three lions with their pragmatic and persistent usage of the short ball, which pushed England's aggressive players back and denied them their desired strokes. 

Lyon was integral to the plans, too, and made excellent use of the angle around-the-wicket to curb the opposition players' hands with the bat. He took eight wickets and produced vital runs in the win in Birmingham and was looking set for a career-defining series until his injury.

Nathan Lyon quashes 'Bazball' hype 

Speaking on SEN Cricket's 'The Run Home', Nathan Lyon said England weren't so aggressive with the bat when put under the pump by Aussies in the first two Test matches. 

The great off-spinner also pressed home a point against the astonishing hype that 'Bazball' has generated, saying he has seen Australians play more aggressively with the bat at the Test level than their Ashes rivals. 

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"I know everyone keeps talking about BazBall, to be honest, I didn’t really see BazBall… throughout my two Tests again them," Lyon said. "I’m 2-0 in my Tests against BazBall… 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. 

Lyon also firmed up his future plans and laid bare his keenness to return to England for another aim at the coveted urn and elusive Test series triumph in 2027.