“More complete” – Paul Adams picks Nathan Lyon over Ashwin as the ‘better’ off-spinner ahead of BGT

Nathan Lyon wins the battle of off-spinners. Well, at least in former South African leggie Paul Adams’ eyes. The unorthodox tweaker feels that while Ravichandran Ashwin might have more options with the red cherry in hand, it’s Lyon’s consistency and ability to adapt to different conditions that make him a superior spinner.

Lyon has a better average than Ashwin in Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, and South Africa, which indicates that he’s better in that he’s a much better bowler compared to the Indian wizard away from home. That’s the reasoning that Adams used as well: “I still think Nathan Lyon has a more complete game in terms of competing in subcontinent and in Australia or South Africa, those types of conditions, than Ashwin,” the former Protean spinner said in a virtual interaction arranged by the SA20.

It’s commonly accepted that Ashwin’s the more gifted spinner. It’s something even Lyon has stated, but according to Adams, the Aussie offie challenges batters a bit more with his overspin. Ashwin, being a subcontinent spinner, uses sidespin, which helps on lower and turning tracks, but on flat pitches, the extra bounce helps Lyon more. 

“He (Ashwin) has a carrom ball that can turn the ball the opposite ways. But Lyon has been someone who has bowled with a lot of over-spin. That challenges the batters,” Adams concluded.