Nathan Lyon Admits Sledging English Players “On Purpose” as Tensions Rise Ahead of Much-Awaited Ashes

Nathan Lyon opens up on his iconic 2017 Ashes sledge, 100 days prior to the start of the 2025 Ashes.

Nathan Lyon Admits Sledging English Players “On Purpose” as Tensions Rise Ahead of Much-Awaited Ashes

Nathan Lyon (via The Guardian)

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Another year of Ashes cricket and the cricketing world is fueled with the hype the massive Test series brings along with it. The recently concluded England vs. India series too had a lot of mentions about the forthcoming Australian tour.

The series had a lot of verbal volleys and mind games from both sides that is something that resonates a lot with the Australian team. One would expect such sledging to take place in the Australian summer as well.

When the English players were asked about the verbals they hurled against India, many suggested that it was purely tactical. That got Australian spinner Nathan Lyon excited as he remembered one such incident of himself, making an early sledge to disrupt the English side.

Having lost the 2015 Ashes, the Australian team was under scrutiny when England toured Australia in 2017 for a five match affair. Upon getting bombarded with questions from the English press, Lyon stirred a conversation by saying, “Could we end some careers? I hope so.”

A sledge of that sort was pointed towards the English dressing room suggesting that the Australian team might make the 2017 Ashes a last series for many from the visiting side. When asked about that incident Lyon disclosed the thought process behind it.

Looking back at that, I did that on purpose. I wanted to make it about England, take a lot of pressure off ‘Painey’ (Tim Paine) and Cam Bancroft. Painey was coming back into the side, Cam was making his debut, so there was a lot of pressure on our batting group, especially those young guys.

Nathan Lyon via Sydney Morning Herald

Lyon admitted to having pre-planned the sledge as he wanted the focus to shift towards the visiting English team. He also mentioned that he wanted to protect a fragile batting line up that was getting unpopular opinions in the media. Lyon’s sledge proved to be effective as Australia dominated and decimated the visiting side beating them 4-0.

What is the path ahead for Nathan Lyon?

Nathan Lyon in many ways has been the heartbeat of Australia’s bowling attack over the last decade. Surrounded by the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and captain Pat Cummins, Lyon often goes under the radar but in reality has the most number of wickets amongst the quartet.

Nathan Lyon during the 2025 WTC Final.
Nathan Lyon (via Outlook India)

Lyon who currently has 562 wickets has a genuine chance to get to 600 wickets in the next 6 months if he manages to keep fit and play all the matches ahead of him. At 37 Lyon is not getting any younger and that thought would be in his mind.

Lyon during the previous Australian summer, when India had toured, did suggest that he would like to end his illustrious career in 2027 ‘beating India in India,’ something he hasn’t experienced as a player. If Lyon manages to play all the Test matches until the series he might strike another 100 wickets in his career.

The off-spinner had to unfortunately leave the previous Ashes series mid way owing to a tear in his foot. Lyon would love to make amends for that and continue is impeccable record against the English. Whether he will prove to be effective against an aggressive Bazball approach from the English side would be interesting to see.

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