Ashes 2023: Top 5 player battles to watch out for
As the cricket world eagerly waits for the Ashes to get underway, here is a look at five potential players battles that could play a key role in deciding the outcome of the series.
2. Nathan Lyon vs Ben Stokes
Another battle that many are looking forward to watch in the upcoming Ashes 2023 is the battle between England captain Ben Stokes and Australia's spin star Nathan Lyon. The off-spinner would be operating in tandem when Stokes would usually come out to bat. The kind of player Stokes is, he can change the course of a game in a blink of an eye.
The fast-bowlers generally do not operate in the middle-overs, when Stokes will come out to bat on most of the occasions. The reason behind it is that they get very little assistance from the pitch and the old ball. In such a scenario, the onus will be on Lyon to ensure that Stokes does not take the game away from Australia.
Lyon also has a good track record against the England captain as only India ace Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed Stokes more times than Lyon. While Ashwin has dismissed Stokes 11 times, Lyon has sent him back to the pavilion nine times in 23 innings.
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