The Age/SMH Cryptic by RM #20,788

I have been neglecting this blog while dealing with  issues around my mother's estate that are now finally getting all its loose ends tied up. I'm relieved to have those distractions fading off now and I can get back to being focussed on the cryptics.

On a recent trip the the USA I did manage to acquire a paperback issue of Ximenes On The Art of The Crossword by D.S. Macnutt, the daddy of cryptic crossword construction. I'm finding some of the writing a bit difficult (he really loved commas and asides) but I'm only 40 pages in. I was once told by a wise friend that the best way to learn how to solve clues is to learn how to write clues.

Today's puzzle was zipped through in an hour. I've not had this kind of puzzle success in a long time. Nice way to kick off Monday with a major ego boost. Especially after Friday's reaming by DA. That one was brutal. I needed Saturday and Sunday off to recover.

The only question I couldn't parse was 9A but my Twitter friends jumped in and were great to explain it for me (Thanks to them all!), because I'm not cricket smart and I didn't have the words to work to make the clue work. I got it with cross letters and knowledge of herbs and food - I know food.

Herb uses top spin to split the top of the wicket (5)

Herb is the definition with "top Spin" = S and the top of a wicket is a BAIL so the S is "to split" the BAIL to make BA(S)IL.

My last question is 13D, which was my last in the grid. I'm thinking one who tells "excellent fibs" tells CAPITAL LIES, but there's no homophone indicator so is this just a cryptic definition or should there be a homophone signpost? Have I not solved this correctly?

Wishing you a great Monday and a better week ahead.