Australia's Lyon tells England that no spinner would be Ashes error

He stresses that spinners bring vital balance and variation to any Test side

SYDNEY:

Nathan Lyon warned England on Wednesday that they would be making a mistake if they do not play a spinner during the Ashes, with the veteran Australian sure the wickets will offer variation.

England last week unveiled a pace-heavy attack for the five-Test series that gets under way in Perth on November 21, spearheaded by five quicks.

They include Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood, with captain Ben Stokes and seamer Matthew Potts offering support

Only one specialist spinner, Shoaib Bashir, was named in the 16-man squad, with allrounder Will Jacks his only back-up.

Despite the first two Tests at Perth and Brisbane being traditionally bouncy wickets, off-spin great Lyon said Bashir should be involved.

"For me, you're picking a spinner in every side because the variation changes the tempo of the game," said Lyon, a veteran of 139 Tests and a staple of Australia's side since 2011.

"I think a spinner can play a very effective role out here if their skill set suits."

"To be honest, (England's squad) is all pretty much what we expected. The whole squad is very attacking with fast bowlers."

Whether England opt for an all-pace attack in Perth remains to be seen, but selectors will be conscious that their spinners have frequently struggled in Australian conditions.

Lyon, in contrast, thrives on home soil, where he has bagged 268 of his 562 Test wickets at an average of 31.08.

"I grew up here, I understand and built my craft around playing on wickets that don't spin," said Lyon, who will begin his Ashes preparations by captaining New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield this weekend.

"I've had to find a way to firstly survive but also create chances and build pressure along the way. It's something I thoroughly enjoyed doing and I'll keep doing that."

England are bidding to win the Ashes for the first time since 2015. They have not won a Test series in Australia since 2010/11.