Spinner Nathan Lyon looms as a match turner in Ashes Test at Adelaide Adelaide spinner Nathan Lyon looms as a matchwinner against England in the second Test. NATHAN Lyon is as excited as a lad who spent much of the last Adelaide Ashes Test behind the wheel of the roller. Which of course is exactly what he did. Three years later the likeable spinner is shaping as Australia's trump and he appears to be relishing the opportunity. Saying Lyon was plucked from the Adelaide curator's shed to play for Australia is an urban myth that refuses to die. But like all clichés it is based in truth, and the former groundsman made a point of catching up with Adelaide curator Damian Hough and his team before training this morning. "I already went out and saw Damo and said hello to the guys," Lyon said. It looks like he's produced an absolute belter of a pitch so I can't wait to get out there. Indeed. Lyon had an early morning net session with spin coach John Davison even before he said hello to his old friends. As Australia's sole frontline spinner, the pressure on Lyon to perform is immense but he appears confident and relaxed after his success in Brisbane. Former Test off-spinner Ashley Mallett told The Australian this week that Lyon should chart a new course in Adelaide, which demanded a more attacking approach than the leg side line that was so successful at the Gabba. Lyon was unsurprisingly guarded when asked if he would heed Mallett's counsel and bowl a more traditional off-spinner's line from over the wicket instead of around. "It depends how they play me I guess," he said. There's going to be a variety of over and around, there's no doubt about that, (as) it looks like there could be a fair few overs out there for me. So it's going to be a good opportunity to get a good bowl. Out of crisis comes opportunity and the potential calamity facing Lyon is 20.12m long, rock hard and straw coloured. Whether Adelaide's drop-in pitch will break up is a bigger talking point beneath Adelaide's new stands than Michael Clarke's rolled ankle. Spinners have taken more wickets than the quicks in the two Shield matches at the remodelled oval this season. But few bowlers of any type have had great success on a strip that has disgorged 2523 runs at about 50 runs per wicket. "It's going to be hard work, there's no point lying about that - it's going to be hard toil," Lyon said. It's going to be a great challenge. That's what I love about Test match cricket.