Young England spinner Tom Hartley is eagerly looking forward to teaming up with veteran Australian spinner Nathan Lyon. The duo is set to play county cricket together for Lancashire this year. Hartley feels Lyon’s inputs will be a game-changer for him.
Lyon, who is currently regarded as one of the best spinners in the world, was a major contributor to Australia’s victory over New Zealand in the Wellington Test. The spinner amassed a 10-wicket haul as the Australians maintained their winning streak against their Trans-Tasman rivals n the game’s longest format.
Hartley, on his part, has been fantastic for England in the IND vs ENG series. In spite of England already losing the series with another match left, Hartley has provided a dominant performance. Hartley is currently leading the wicket-takers list for England with a total of 20 scalps. The left-arm spinner has also proved useful for England at lower in the order with the bat.
In an interview with the BBC, Hartley said he was impressed by Lyon’s performance on flat decks in Australia and stated that he wanted to try and emulate him.
“He’s someone I want to try to replicate. To be an international cricketer you have to able to perform in different conditions and Nathan is a guy that can really help me. I hope he’s going to be fantastic for me and be a real game-changer. The type of bowler he is something I’m trying to work on. The way he operates in Australia on pretty flat wickets, there are times when English wickets are pretty similar. He’s going to be great to learn off,” said Hartley.
