• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

Nathan Lyon vs Graeme Swann

Better Off Spinner


  • Total voters
    30

Line and Length

International Coach
Three reasons why Swann > Lyon
(a) Better average 29.97 v 30.86
(b) Superior WPM 2.25 v 4.07
(c) Lyon didn't have to bowl to great Australian batsmen.

Joking of course - check my vote.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Swann's peak better than Lyon's. But he only really played internationals at his peak so it's a bit like comparing Anderson with, I dunno, someone.

Voted Swann anyway because that's how I roll
 

Aidan11

International Captain
Swann came to test cricket late in his career but was quite an effective off spinner. Their ratio of wickets per test is pretty close but I'll go with Swann.
 

Coronis

Hall of Fame Member
One quit on his team during the Ashes, the other came out to bat on a blown calf during the Ashes.

Tough call.
 

howitzer

State Captain
Ryan Harris
I like this, except one played consistently for five years and the other still missed lots of tests during his five year career. Harris was clearly a better bowler when he could get on the park though, so that redresses the balance. Would be a fun comparison thread between those two.
 

morgieb

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Lyon, but Swann has won an away Ashes and a series in India.
Did he really do much in that Ashes series though? Fair point re: India though.

I think it's fair to say Swann might've had the better peak, but the fact that he spent so long unable to make the team is a bit of a black mark.
 

BazBall21

International Captain
Did he really do much in that Ashes series though? Fair point re: India though.

I think it's fair to say Swann might've had the better peak, but the fact that he spent so long unable to make the team is a bit of a black mark.
He didn't set the world alight but he did a bit more than most touring off-spinners manage in Australia. And he had a gun tour of India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean.

Have always considered him the most important player of that 2009-2013 England team. Abandoning his teammates in a crisis halfway through the final series of his career was arguably wrong on a moral level but his shoulder was too ****ed for his bowling to still be useful.

Overall though, it's obviously Lyon. Swann simply didn't have a long enough career for this to be a serious comparison.

Spinners get better over time too. I don't know much about where his level was in the mid-2000s etc but on paper his career was nicely timed like Strauss' was.
 

howitzer

State Captain
He didn't set the world alight but he did a bit more than most touring off-spinners manage in Australia. And he had a gun tour of India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean.

Have always considered him the most important player of that 2009-2013 England team. Abandoning his teammates in a crisis halfway through the final series of his career was arguably wrong on a moral level but his shoulder was too ****ed for his bowling to still be useful.

Overall though, it's obviously Lyon. Swann simply didn't have a long enough career for this to be a serious comparison.

Spinners get better over time too. I don't know much about where his level was in the mid-2000s etc but on paper his career was nicely timed like Strauss' was.
IIRC it was his elbow?
 

Top