Border backs Lyon to be No.1 spinner for Oz in return Ashes

Legendary Australian captain Allan Border has said that he believes that Nathan Lyon deserved to be Australia's No.1 spinner for the return Ashes series, starting in November.

According to News.com.au, Lyon's consistency is viewed by some as a weakness, given that it generally means he does not turn the ball as much as other spinners, including England's Graeme Swann.

But Border said that he thinks that Lyon has put to bed the fact that he should be the No.1 spinner for his team with his performances in the recently-concluded Ashes, adding that he brought a style of line and length in the game.

Although the campaign to hand former Pakistani refugee and Australian leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed a Test debut seems to be gaining more momentum by the day, Border, however, believes that any chance Ahmed has to star in the coming Ashes series will be alongside Lyon, rather than in place of him.

Stating that the option of having an extra spinner will depend on the odd surface around the country where they could play two spinners, Border also said that Ahmed might be the second option, adding that there is a good opportunity to have him in the squad leading into most of the games as long as it does not hamper his domestic schedule.

However, Border backed Ahmed for selection in the squad for most of the winter, saying that having a good leg-spinner like Ahmed can be like a big gold bar for Australia as he brings many more options to the table if he got a combination of variation and control.

Border also said that he believes that Australian Ashes debutant Ashton Agar, who has already experienced many of the highs and lows of international cricket in just two Tests, has the potential to be a star of the future, but has a lot to improve on before that can happen.