1st Test: Australia v Pakistan @ Optus Stadium Perth, Dec 14-18 2023

[JJ]

I'd say Lyon is in contention with Clarrie Grimmett and Doug Bollinger as the greatest bald Australian player of all time.

DK Lillee?

 

[undertaker]

None of those guys (Krezja/Doherty/Hauritz) were near as good as Lyon. His overspin makes he effective in Aussie conditions. Krezja bowled too wayward, Xavier darts & better suited to odi's. Hauritz was a smart gameplayer, but without skills of Lyon. You left off one guy who should've played more matches in O'Keefe

Why Jason Krejza never thought he was as good as he really was

The offspinner who took a dozen wickets on debut against India 12 years ago looks back at how it all went downhill from there

www.thecricketmonthly.com

Regardless of what you think about Krezja, it was a very shabby, unacceptable way he got treated by the captain (Ponting), coach (Nielsen) and selectors.

During the restructuring phase post-Argus Review (after the disastrous Ashes campaign, losing 3 tests by an innings), under new leadership, Lyon progressed and as I said, he took the opportunity with both hands with minimal competition for his spot over the past 12 years (Agar and O'Keefe were the stop gap options that had to settle with licking the crumbs off the king's plate when it came to opportunities at the highest level)

 

[Incorrect]

View attachment 82600

Bald power!!!!

Remarkable how his follicles started to descend from the top of his head to his lower jaw over that period ...

 

[AlwaysGreen]

DK Lillee?

I actually forgot to add Greg Matthews in the mix too. Yeah yeah.

 

[Bazal]

Why Jason Krejza never thought he was as good as he really was

The offspinner who took a dozen wickets on debut against India 12 years ago looks back at how it all went downhill from there

www.thecricketmonthly.com

Regardless of what you think about Krezja, it was a very shabby, unacceptable way he got treated by the captain (Ponting), coach (Nielsen) and selectors.

During the restructuring phase post-Argus Review (after the disastrous Ashes campaign, losing 3 tests by an innings), under new leadership, Lyon progressed and as I said, he took the opportunity with both hands with minimal competition for his spot over the past 12 years, as well as the media support (Agar and O'Keefe were the stop gap options that had to settle with licking the crumbs off the king's plate when it came to opportunities at the highest level)

Krazy Krejza gave the ball a rip but he was realistically too wayward.

SOK is the one who should feel aggrieved. But to an extent he only had himself to blame... specifically his inability to drink more than two schooners without calling someone a slur

 

[Pippen94]

Why Jason Krejza never thought he was as good as he really was

The offspinner who took a dozen wickets on debut against India 12 years ago looks back at how it all went downhill from there

www.thecricketmonthly.com

Regardless of what you think about Krezja, it was a very shabby, unacceptable way he got treated by the captain (Ponting), coach (Nielsen) and selectors.

During the restructuring phase post-Argus Review (after the disastrous Ashes campaign, losing 3 tests by an innings), under new leadership, Lyon progressed and as I said, he took the opportunity with both hands with minimal competition for his spot over the past 12 years, as well as the media support he's had (Agar and O'Keefe were the stop gap options that had to settle with licking the crumbs off the king's plate when it came to opportunities at the highest level)

O'keefe's fc record is excellent & was immensely accurate. Politics cost him but even he's test record is solid.
Looking at stats of other guys they can't complain..

 

[Pippen94]

Remarkable how his follicles started to descend from the top of his head to his lower jaw over that period ...

Got hotter wife without his hair too!!

 

[Marshall_magic]

None of those guys (Krezja/Doherty/Hauritz) were near as good as Lyon. His overspin makes he effective in Aussie conditions. Krezja bowled too wayward, Xavier darts & better suited to odi's. Hauritz was a smart gameplayer, but without skills of Lyon. You left off one guy who should've played more matches in O'Keefe

Lyon’s stats will make him look a lot worse than he probably was, however when you look at world class spinners’ stats in Aus over the past 20 years, none look very impressive with the exception of Warne. Considering Lyon played roughly half his tests in Aus is going to negatively impact his numbers.

That being said, we lost Warne, Magill and even Hogg from the test scene in a very quick period, and there was a scramble to find an answer. Ponting was a good captain, however when his spinner would go for runs he would panic and take them out of the attack. Lyon debuting under Clarke was definitely advantageous for him, I am not sure Ponting gives him the same backing whilst he finds his footing.

We also went through a period where any spinner who Warnie said was worth keeping tabs on got fast tracked into the side (Michael Beer anyone) also a period where the selectors kept picking batsman as specialist spinners - whoever thought it was a good idea to go to India with Cameron White as a spinner who bats 8 should be executed.

I agree about Sok though, he probably should have played more tests, although he’s had a few issues off the field (from memory he had a DUI and another incident with booze - probably flies under Ponting, but defo not Clarke) & from memory he got loosely caught up in the Clarke/Kat incident which probably didn’t help him.

 

[undertaker]

None of those guys (Krezja/Doherty/Hauritz) were near as good as Lyon. His overspin makes he effective in Aussie conditions. Krezja bowled too wayward, Xavier darts & better suited to odi's. Hauritz was a smart gameplayer, but without skills of Lyon. You left off one guy who should've played more matches in O'Keefe

Regarding O'Keefe, media plays a very major role. Lyon has predominantly been portrayed in a positive light over the past 12 years, whereas O'Keefe....even when he did well in India in 2017, the likes of influential media personnel such as Warne bagged the crap out of him ad nauseum. It was like O'Keefe could do nothing right (off the field, yes, there were some things he could've improved with his behavior, but I'm moreso focusing on O'keefe's onfield performances)

Until the day they pass away, McGain and Beer should be eternally grateful to Warne for their Baggy Green caps. Very fair to say they got selected off the back of Warne talking them up in the media.

 

[Incorrect]

I agree about Sok though, he probably should have played more tests, although he’s had a few issues off the field (from memory he had a DUI and another incident with booze - probably flies under Ponting, but defo not Clarke) & from memory he got loosely caught up in the Clarke/Kat incident which probably didn’t help him

Hyperbole aside, I actually reckon SOK's off field behaviour has probably cost him in the hundreds of thousands of dollars when you consider the central contracts and other overseas opportunities that would have fed off that...

 

[JJ]

Got hotter wife without his hair too!!

This is the way.

 

[JJ]

Regarding O'Keefe, media plays a very major role. Lyon has predominantly been portrayed in a positive light over the past 12 years, whereas O'Keefe....even when he did well in India in 2017, the likes of influential media personnel such as Warne bagged the crap out of him ad nauseum. It was like O'Keefe could do nothing right (off the field, yes, there were some things he could've improved with his behavior, but I'm moreso focusing on O'keefe's onfield performances)

Until the day they pass away, McGain and Beer should be eternally grateful to Warne for their Baggy Green caps. Very fair to say they got selected off the back of Warne talking them up in the media.

Yet the great Darren Berry was so terribly treated

 

[King-Gutho94]

Regarding O'Keefe, media plays a very major role. Lyon has predominantly been portrayed in a positive light over the past 12 years, whereas O'Keefe....even when he did well in India in 2017, the likes of influential media personnel such as Warne bagged the crap out of him ad nauseum.

Until the day they pass away, McGain and Beer should be eternally grateful to Warne for their Baggy Green caps. Very fair to say they got selected off the back of Warne talking them up in the media.

SOK and Clarke had a falling out when SOK was given the NSW captaincy in 2011/12.

It's why he never really got a look in while Clarke was selector and Warne always bagged the tripe out if him.

SOK clearly would have been more suited for the 1980s & throw in his drunken behaviour didn't do himself any favours.

 

[Bazal]

Hyperbole aside, I actually reckon SOK's off field behaviour has probably cost him in the hundreds of thousands of dollars when you consider the central contracts and other overseas opportunities that would have fed off that...

Easily. Maybe more. You look at his T20 record and then think about him at his peak, bowling that on dewy IPL tracks...

 

[JJ]

Great win by Aust, poor Davey a bit unlucky with MoM imo, but Marsh is an irresistible force atm

 

[Marshall_magic]

Hyperbole aside, I actually reckon SOK's off field behaviour has probably cost him in the hundreds of thousands of dollars when you consider the central contracts and other overseas opportunities that would have fed off that...

Faulkner as well - although he did have a prolonged international career in short formats. Also potentially Like Pommersbach who had a boatload of talent but issues off the field.

 

[Marshall_magic]

SOK and Clarke had a falling out when SOK was given the NSW captaincy in 2011/12.

It's why he never really got a look in while Clarke was selector and Warne always bagged the tripe out if him.

SOK clearly would have been more suited for the 1980s & throw in his drunken behaviour didn't do himself any favours.

Sok did a guest speaking appearance with Katich and Matthews around the time Kat was dropped and blaming Clarke. Matthews went on a rant about how Katich should’ve dropped Clarke. Everyone in the room had a good time and laughed along with the story. About a week later Sok distanced himself from the comments. You just have to wonder how much went on behind the scenes there. Sok always put up decent FC numbers yet never got a look in.

 

[TheParraboy]

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Or Warner

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[AlwaysGreen]

Lyon has improved a lot over the last 3 years. There was a time he was a medium pacer bowling straightuns, he's matured like a fine cask of tropicana recently.

 

[blue bags]

When the Parraboy changes his avatar, it is done with precision and intent...

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