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Former South African bowler Paul Adams said Nathan Lyon is a more “complete” bowler compared to Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ravichandran Ashwin is the leading wicket-taker in WTC history. (Picture Credit: AFP, AP)
Veteran Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon, expected to play a vital role in the upcoming five-Test Border-Gavaskar series, is a more “complete” bowler compared to India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, former South African bowler Paul Adams, who became popular for his unorthodox action, said on Tuesday.
Lyon, with 530 Test wickets, and Ashwin, with 536 scalps, are the two most potent spinners in the world but Adams, whose “frog in a blender” action made him quite a celebrity during his playing days, said the Australian had the ability to trouble batters on pitches around the world.
“I still think Nathan Lyon has a more complete game in terms of competing in subcontinent and in Australia or South Africa, those type of conditions, than Ashwin,” said Adams, who played 45 Tests and took 134 wickets, when asked who between the two had a more complete game to succeed all around the world.
“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,” added Adams, 47, in a virtual interaction arranged by SA20.
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Leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been a revelation in South African conditions during the ongoing T20I series, and Adams believes the 33-year-old’s control over the ball is amazing.
Chakravarthy took three wickets in the T20I opener, which India won by 61 runs and returned excellent figures of 5/17 in the second T20I albeit in a losing cause.
“Yeah, I think his control of length has been great in terms of bowling, his googly and his leggy. So, his release point as well is (at a) very similar height in terms of getting that googly out and the lines.
“So, his control has been absolutely magnificent in terms of how to challenge the batter’s defense and also they’re not sure in how to line him up in what they’re seeing at the moment,” he said.
“So, the South African side has got some homework to do on how they’re going to play him and how they’re going to go about him in the two matches left (in the four-match series).”
(With inputs from Agencies)
