Muralitharan says Lyon not ‘good enough’ to hassle Lankan batsmen

Sydney: Legendary spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan has said Australia’s Nathan Lyon doesn’t possess enough skills to hassle Sri Lankan batsmen, and added that had Mahela Jayawardene’s men attacked the off spinner during the Hobart Test the outcome of the match could have been different.

Murali believes Rangana Herath can win Sri Lanka the second Test match in Melbourne considering the fact that Australian batsmen have never been comfortable against slow left arm spinners.



Murali is also confident the tourists will break their duck on Australian soil after nine losses and two draws in 11 matches, News.com.au reports. The spin great said if Sri Lanka bats first and scores big, then Herath could help them win if the wicket starts turning.

Orthodox spinner Herath took 5-95 in the second innings as the Bellerive wicket broke up in Hobart after going wicket less in the first dig.

On the other hand, Muralitharan said Lyon`s finger spin held no such fear for the Lankans. Muralitharan also said Australia would struggle to bowl out Sri Lanka twice in Melbourne, a city where the tourists have always enjoyed great crowd support from a large ex-pat community.