Veteran Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who is about to return to the Test against Pakistan following an injury layoff that he sustained during the Ashes series, has spoken out about his retirement plans. The Baggy Green will host Pakistan for a three-match Test series beginning on Thursday, December 14 in Perth.
The seasoned off-spinner is on the verge of a historic feat of 500 Test wickets. Lyon, who currently has 496 wickets, is only four wickets away from joining the list’s elite club of bowlers and would fancy his chance to achieve this milestone against Pakistan in the 1st test. The 36-year-old is one of the country’s most successful Test spinners after taking the responsibilities from legendary Shane Warne.
Speaking to Cricket Australia, Nathan Lyon said that he has complete faith in his fitness and does not aim to tie his remaining career objectives to an end date or an estimated wicket tally and expressed his ambition to play for Australia until he wins a Test series against India and England.
“I’m not putting a number on it. I want to play cricket for as long as I can,” when asked about targeting Shane Warne’s record as Australia’s greatest-ever Test bowler.
“I haven’t won a Test series in India, haven’t won in England – those are two places that I want to do, so with the injury happening a couple of months ago, I feel like there’s a passion there to keep going and keep trying to get better. I’ve had the mentality to try and rehab this like no-one’s rehabbed a calf injury before,” Nathan Lyon said.
For nearly a decade, the off-spinner has been considered as one of the world’s best. Nathan Lyon was instrumental in Australia’s first ICC World Test Championship victory earlier this year in England. In the final, Australia defeated India by 209 runs, with their spin spearhead claiming 5 wickets.
The 36-year-old was Australia’s best player during the second World Cup cycle. He finished the WTC’s second edition with the most wickets. In 20 matches, Lyon took 88 wickets, including five five-wicket hauls, while none of the other bowlers claimed more than 70 wickets during that cycle.
The off-spinner had a calf injury earlier this year during the Ashes but recovered in time for Australia’s home season. Lyon’s home venue, Perth, will host the first Test match. Lyon will become the eighth bowler in Test history to reach 500 wickets, and the fourth spinner to do so, joining Muttiah Murlitharan, Shane Warne, and Anil Kumble if he manages to pick four wickets in the match.
