Ashes 2017/18: 5 Talking points from Australia's Gabba win

Lyon walks the talk at the Gabba

He was everything Steve Smith asked of him

Out of character. That was what Nathan Lyon looked like when he was hurling words designed to intimidate and get into the minds of the English batsmen. The talk of "ending careers" before the Ashes was just that, talk. But the moment he got the ball in his hands at the Gabba, the familiar Lyon came to the fore.

There was plenty of bounce, even a little bit of turn and Lyon was making the English batsmen dance to his tune. While it was unusual to see a spinner to get that much assistance on a Gabba pitch, the 30-year-old offie certainly made the most of it.

He was everything Steve Smith asked of him. Bowl a dozen overs from one end? Done. Pick up key wickets? No problem. Don't let the English batsmen get away? Piece of cake. Five wickets in the match might not seem like much but it was enough to have his captain proclaim that he was bowling like a "genius".