500 wickets and beyond is on my radar, professes Nathan Lyon

11/20/2020

Nathan Lyon has emerged as one of the best Test spinners in the world over the years and he has asserted that he wants to take 500 wickets and beyond. Lyon is going to play a key role in Australia's upcoming home Test series against India that will start from December 17 at Adelaide Oval.

Nathan Lyon's journey from groundsman to Australia's leading Test spinner has been as magical as they come. He has put up strong performances over the years in the longer format and has kept getting better at his craft, overcoming all the gaping holes in his game as his record shows. After 96 Tests, the 33-year-old has scalped 390 wickets that too hailing from Australia, which is a good achievement indeed, as he mostly plays on unhelpful pitches for spinners.

If Lyon stays fit and plays all the four Tests against India, he will become the only 10th player in Australian history to play 100 Tests that is likely to be at Australia's fortress Gabba. The off-spinner feels that he has a lot of cricket left in him and has his eyes set on 500 Test wickets and beyond.

"I still feel I'm getting better and still feel like I've got a lot of cricket to offer Cricket Australia," Lyon, who turns 33 on Friday, was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.

"Definitely 500 and beyond is on my radar."

It has been a long time since we last saw Australia's top-notch spinner in whites as it was as early as January this year after which novel Coronavirus struck the world and there's have been a limited number of games afterwards. However, the long break has made Lyon only more hungry to do well in Tests.

"Probably it's driven my love for the game. Without being able to play the game that you love so much and not being able to play that regularly that's driven my passion to get out there and that hunger to perform well again."

Lyon has missed the pressure that comes along with playing for Australia in Tests, something he will be reliving soon as the Border-Gavaskar trophy commences from December 17 in Adelaide.

"The most I've missed is that pressure that comes along with playing Test cricket. Missing that adrenaline."