Ashes - I celebrated Bairstow's dismissal more than anyone: Lyon reflects on controversial run-out and Bazball

Ace Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has whacked the Bazball concept and shared his take on the controversial Jonny Bairstow run-out in the second Ashes Test at the Lord’s earlier this year. Preparing for the upcoming season, starting with the Pakistan Test series, Lyon played down the hype around the attacking brand of cricket the English call ‘Bazball’, saying he had been watching this formula unfold from his teammates for a long time.

Speaking his heart out on the controversial Bairstow run-out on day five of the second Ashes Test, Lyon, who was on crutches by then, admitted to celebrating more than anyone on the field. Without mincing his words, Lyon schooled Bairstow on staying inside the crease, let alone having some sympathy towards him.

"It's quite simple. Stay in your crease, and you won't get out. But I was in the change rooms on my crutches watching and I think I celebrated more than anyone. It was pretty amazing. But I've never seen a crowd react like that after anything," Lyon said on Channel 7's Front Bar program.

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Meanwhile, Lyon hammered Bazball left, right and centre, saying till the time he was there on the field (before missing action the remainder of the series with a calf injury), England couldn’t apply the attacking brand of cricket they hyped about all summer.

Trailing 0-2 after the second Test at the Lord’s, England made a comeback, winning two out of the three, drawing the series 2-2.

It’s a load of s*** - Lyon on Bazball

"I'm 2-0 against Bazball, so I am happy," Lyon joked about the hype around Bazball. "It's a load of s*** if you ask me. It's a brand of cricket that the English want to keep going with. Now it's in the dictionary, which is pretty extraordinary."

Citing examples of how, over the years, players in his team have applied the attacking brand of cricket to their advantage, including David Warner, Lyon said,

"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," the veteran spinner added.