Craig McDermott feels Lyon should be been given a run in shorter formats

CHENNAI: Former bowling coach Craig McDermott has mentored the current bunch of Australian bowlers during his time with the national side. The likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and many others have benefitted from McDermott’s inputs. The 52-year-old, who played 71 Tests and 138 ODIs for Australia, spoke to TOI on Australia’s chances in the upcoming limited-overs series against India.
Excerpts:
What’s your take on this Australian bowling line-up which will take on India?
Without Mitchell starc and Josh Hazlewood, the Australian attack is down on speed. But, I do believe Nathan Coulternile and Pat Cummins have the ability to clock over 140 kph on a consistent basis. An important bowler in the line-up is James Faulkner who had a big role to play during our World Cup winning campaign in 2015. He has bowled well in shorter formats in the past. However, one thing we will be missing is Starc’s pace and his bowling at the death.
Who according to you would be part of the pace bowling line-up for Australia in the upcoming series?
I would probably go with Nathan Coulter-Nile and Cummins at the start, and then bring in Faulkner in the middle-overs. All these bowlers have played in India before and know the conditions well, thanks to their exposure in the Indian Premier League. Faulkner, in particular, brings the X-factor to the Australian side as he is varies his pace, and can also score runs coming down the order. Faulkner has played a lot of vital knocks for Australia in the past. He is a great competitor and doesn’t take a backward step with the bat or ball.
Do you reckon Nathan Lyon, who has done well in the sub-continent soil in recent times, should have been part of the limited-overs side?
Yes, he should have been to India, but Australian selectors don’t seem to be picking him for the shorter formats. Nathan has bowled very well in Bangladesh and even in India earlier this year - he was outstanding. I don’t actually know why he doesn’t play ODI cricket as often as he should considering that he actually started his career in Twenty20 cricket. He has done well in whatever opportunities he has had in the shorter formats.
Where would you rate Lyon among the current crop of spinners in the world?
His statistics are pretty good and he is going to play for Australia for a long period of time. Lyon took some time to find his footing (in international cricket). He was expected to get wickets on tracks that offered turn and I think he struggled with that responsibility initially, but he has turned things around and continues to get better.
Looking at the Indian batting line-up, what are the areas you expect the Australian bowlers to target?
That’s a very difficult question. You have to hit the deck hard and bowl the right lines. The Indian batsmen are very skilful in their own conditions. They play the ball late and use the depth of the crease to the spinners, and there is very little room for error. Australian bowlers will have to be on top of their game to create inroads into this batting line-up in India.
What would be your prediction for this series?
Of course, I will be going with Australia. I feel Australia will win the five-match ODI series 3-2 and the subsequent T20s 2-1.