This is an article that is pertinent since a number of years and we have done articles about both these players separately and looked at their best performances in test cricket but now it is time to take a look and compare these 2 best spinners of the past decade and compare them and form our opinion as to who is the best spinner in test cricket. We are talking about Ravichandran Ashwin vs Nathan Lyon.
Before we get to the fun part of this article, I just want to thank both these greats because having top quality spinners is absolutely vital to test cricket as the batters are tested on and on and they try to take as many wickets as possible. These 2 are traditional off spinners in an era when the leg spinner is more in demand. Now, let’s take a look at who is the better one?
Ravichandran Ashwin
First we will talk about Ravichandran Ashwin and let me remind all that we will only be talking about the stats in test cricket. Ravichandran Ashwin has been the frontline spin bowler for India in test cricket since 2011 and he has done exceedingly well in his career and still he has a lot left in his tank. I really enjoy watching him bowl and after Harbhajan Singh he has been the best for India.
Test Cricket
Now let’s take a look at his stats as of writing this article in test cricket. He has played 105 Test Matches and before we talk about his bowling, we cannot ignore his batting because he is one great all rounder. He has scored 3474 test runs at an average of 25.92 with 6 test hundreds and he has a highest score of 124. As a spin bowler he has taken 536 wickets in 105 test Matches which means more than 5 wickets per test match. He has taken 5 wickets in an innings 37 times and 8 times he has got 10 wickets in a test match. He has an average of 23.95 and his best performance is 7/59.
Nathan Lyon
Now we will talk about the best Australian spinners since Shane Warne played and his name is Nathan Lyon. He is also a true legend of the sport and he has taken wickets for Australia everywhere and saved matches for them. He also has a few years left in him and he can take more test wickets.
Test Cricket
He has played 129 Test Matches for Australia and as a batter he has made 1521 runs at an average of 12.78 with a top score of 47. And as a spin bowler he has taken 530 Test wickets at an average of 30.28. He has also taken 5 wickets in an innings 24 times and 5 times he has got 10 wickets in a test match. He will play a lot more test matches so chances of taking more wickets. Nathan Lyon is very pleasing to watch as he bowls in the same spot all the time and forces the batter to make an error.
Ravichandran Ashwin vs Nathan Lyon Stats
1. Performance in Home Conditions
2. Performance in Away Conditions
3. Performance Against Top Test Teams
Ashwin Performance against Top 4 Test Teams (Australia, South Africa, England and New Zealand)
Nathon Lyon Performance against Top 4 Test Teams (India, South Africa, England and New Zealand)
Comparison
Now it is time to compare but there is very little to choose from. The difference between their test wickets is only 6 so there will be a healthy competition as to who gets the most test wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin has played 24 fewer test matches and has yet got 6 more wickets than him and this fact gives the edge to Ashwin.
Ravichandran Ashwin has also got 13 more 5 wicket hauls than Nathan Lyon and he has a bowling average of almost 8 runs fewer than Nathan Lyon. However Nathan Lyon will get to play more test matches than Ravichandran Ashwin so he might end up with more wickets. For me right now Ravichandran Ashwin is the better spinner and the best in the world in test cricket.
