Sri Lanka vs Australia: 5 talking points from the 1st Test

#4 Nathan Lyon’s costly second-innings affair

Lyon could not trouble the opposition enough in the business stages

While most spinners prefer bowling on the last few days of a Test match owing to the rough created by their quicker team-mates, Nathan Lyon surprisingly has a better record in the first-innings than in the second.

Having taken 118 of his 200 wickets in the first innings, his average also reflects that trend. The Sri Lankan batsmen utilized it to their advantage by milking the off-spinner quite comfortably.

Admittedly, left-armer Steven O’Keefe’s injury did not help matters. But with Lyon being the leading spinner in his side, skipper Steve Smith would have been extremely disappointed with his figures of 27-2-108-2.

In contrast, the 28-year-old had picked up three wickets during the opening day from only three overs.