Lyon’s cunning offers opener harsh lessons

It’s been quite the introduction to Test cricket for Marques Ackerman.

Gloomy skies in Gqeberha, with Scott Boland, seaming the ball one way then another.

Then to the third Test at Newlands, a series decider, and a flat pitch against a seemingly distracted Australian team and a morning of fun in the Cape Town sun on Tuesday’s day one.

“I think there were a few loose balls, maybe them searching a little bit, just because there wasn’t as much on offer,” Ackerman said of the first session.

He scored 82 off 75 balls before lunch. His fla*shing Kookaburra blade, sending the ball screaming to and over the boundary, sides of the pitch.

“You get those days where you get off to a bit of a flyer and you just go with that momentum,” he said.

The art of Test match batting is knowing when to reign yourself in and that is a lesson that Ackerman clearly still needs to heed. It was interesting hearing him outline his acceptance of opening the batting, something he hadn’t done in first class cricket until last week at St George’s Park.

“I think playing the SA20 has given us a lot of different roles. So you’ve got to be quite flexible and you’ve got to make it work. Left-handers, you’re up the order, down the order, there’s match-ups, all that type of stuff. So you have to make it work,” said Ackerman.

The SA20 is also where he’s spent time with Aiden Markram, building a bond which Ackerman said helped him. “He’s been exceptional for me. That arm around the shoulder, giving me good advice as to what’s going to work, what to expect and backing certain options.“

“I’ve batted with him before opening the batting in the SA20, so it’s quite a familiar relationship that we do have and having a guy like him with all the experience has been key for me.”

The SA20 has obviously been very good for SA cricket, but it probably wasn’t the right time to bring it up, given how SA’s innings collapsed on Tuesday.

Ackerman’s own dismissal was something you’d expect to see in a T20 match. Fearlessly attacking a spinner, but in Ackerman’s case on the first day, losing control and handing his wicket to the opposition too easily.

That’s the Nathan Lyon we know and that’s what he brings to this team.

—  Mitchell Starc

“You live by the sword and you die by the sword. I’ve learned that throughout my career,” said Ackerman. “I left a Test hundred out there, so I’m not really happy with that. But it’s good motivation for hopefully trying to get my first one the next time I get an opportunity.”

Mitchell Starc, one of Australia’s heroes on a day in which they fought back magnificently after looking in dire straits in the first session, offered some insight from the opposition’s perspective on that dismissal.

Ackerman had already survived one opportunity when Nathan Lyon dropped him off his own bowling the second ball after lunch. But he kept attacking, and Lyon simply bided his time.

“I guess you can sort of see stuff starting to happen,” said Starc. “Clearly a young guy looking to score his first Test Century - a 150 Test [match] off-spinner at the other end. Yeah, got the better of him in the end and held his nerve. That’s the Nathan Lyon we know and that’s what he brings to this team.”

Ackerman’s wicket opened the door for the tourists. Starc feared after the first session, that Australia could be in the field for two days. But a change in tactic from the seamers via the bouncer - “it’s in the kit bag for us,” Starc remarked - changed the complexion of the first day.

“We probably would have taken 329, before play started. But we can all agree we left a little bit out there today,” said Ackerman.