Australia will start their home test summer with the 1st test against West Indies at the Optus Stadium in Perth. With the World Test Championship in sight, the Australian team would want to continue their good form in this cycle of the WTC. They missed out on the final last time by a very small margin.
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Ahead of the match, the Australian team have already announced their playing 11 for the 1st test in Perth. No major changes have been done in the team, and even Pat Cummins said that it was a very straightforward decision for him. The team has three pacers, an all-rounder and one spinner in Nathan Lyon.
Lyon is the lone spinner in the playing 11, and he will again be one of Australia’s most lethal weapons. It is to be noted that Lyon has been one of the best performers at the Optus Stadium, and he will want to continue in this match as well.
Nathan Lyon cherishes performing on a pace-friendly Perth track
Whenever Perth’s track is talked about, all the attention automatically goes towards the pacers as there is a lot of bounce and sean movement on the track, but it is interesting to know that Australian spinner Nathan Lyon is the joint-highest wicket-taker at this ground along with Mitchell Starc.
Both Lyon and Starc have scalped 14 wickets in a couple of test matches played here, but Lyon’s average (15.50) is better than that of Starc (15.85). The next 7 bowlers in the last are all pacers with Tim Southee (9 wickets), Neil Wagner (7 wickets) and Mohammed Shami (6 wickets) completing the top-5 list.
Lyon said that the track in Perth offers drift and bounce, and those are his best bowling strengths. He insists that he loves staying the underdog, and it is good that all the attention stays on the pacers in Perth as he loves to do his work in that way only. He said that the temperature is on the higher side, and the pitch will tear up for the spinners.
“It’s pretty nice to fly under the radar and watch the big boys (fast bowlers) do their work, and I get to chime in when the opportunity comes up to play my role, which is exactly how I love to play,” Lyon said.
