Poms not spooked yet: Aussie spinner

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon is forecasting a bold English counter-attack in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide starting Saturday.

Nathan Lyon holding his arms up

Nathan Lyon is forecasting a bold English counter-attack in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide. (AAP)

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon says England aren't spooked just yet and he expects a brazen counter-attack from the tourists in the second Ashes Test.

Lyon says Australia's 10-wicket victory in the series opener shouldn't mask the threat posed by the Poms.

"We respect the English, we know they're going to come back bigger and better and stronger ... it's not going to be a walk in the park," Lyon told reporters on Wednesday.

England enter the day-night second Test in Adelaide starting Saturday with off-field troubles compounding their on-field woes.

The tourists have enacted a curfew after Jonny Bairstow's headbutt of new Australian opener Cameron Bancroft and remain uncertain if allrounder Ben Stokes will join the squad.

But Lyon, who refused to comment on either Bairstow or Stokes, said it would be folly to write off the Englishmen.

"One of the dangerous little periods is when teams are far down or in turmoil if you want to call it that - I don't think they are," Lyon said.

"If you don't respect a team, that's when they can come back and bite you.

"We have just got to go out there and prepare the way the Australian team prepares and make sure come day one of this Test match, we're firing and hopefully carrying on from where we left off in Brissy.

"We can't sit on our hands and just think it's going to happen again."

Lyon said England's batsmen would likely adopt a more aggressive approach to his spinners after his suffocating first Test display - but warned such a tactic would "play into my hands".

"It's a game of cricket, I don't think I spooked anyone," he said.

"I like it when opposition guys try to attack me and try to whack me out of the attack," he said.

"Name of the game is to take wickets and score runs, so no doubt England will come prepared and they'll have a different plan for me compared to what they did in the first Test."

Lyon said his first Test feats - match figures of 5-145 from 60 overs - were particularly satisfying given his pre-match baiting of England's batsmen for being "scared" during their last series in Australia.

"I still stand by my comments," he said.


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Source: AAP



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