PAK vs AUS 2022 | Nathan Lyon wants to whitewash Pakistan in Test series
Nathan Lyon wants to whitewash Pakistan in Test series
|Australia, led by Pat Cummins, will play in Pakistan after more than two decades when they play a three-match Test series, starting from March 4 in Rawalpindi. Their veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon believes that Australia’s mindset ahead of the historic series is ‘to win 3-0 in Pakistan’.
In-form Australia have only lost two Test matches of its past 14 attempts. They completed a 4-0 Ashes series victory over England earlier this year, and will be looking to carry the momentum in their first visit to Pakistan since 1998.
The tour will begin with a three-match Test series, which is newly named as Benaud-Qadir Trophy. Speaking to the Sunday Morning Herald, off-spinner Nathan Lyon declared that they have a mindset of beating Pakistan by 3-0 at their own backyard.
“To be honest, my mindset in every game I go into, I don’t go in to draw or lose it,” Lyon said. “My mindset is to play in Pakistan and win 3-0,” Lyon told the Sunday Morning Herald,
Further, Lyon said that considering the minimal turn in Rawalpindi surface, both teams may opt for three frontline quicks and a spinner rather than two specialist slow bowlers.
“It’s interesting. We’re training about three pitches over the centre wicket and it wasn’t spinning that much. I know we’ve got a little bit more grass on the wickets we’re training on, compared to the match wicket.
“To be honest, we’re very comfortable with where we sit within the Australian squad here. We’ve got enough people to cover all bases. It’s going to be an interesting conversation that Andrew McDonald, George Bailey and Pat Cummins all have together in the lead-up. Whatever team we go out with, we’re confident enough we can play some really positive cricket here in Pakistan.
“It’s probably not the type of wicket I would prepare if I was still doing my curating stuff, but those days are long gone,” Lyon added.
Lyon, who has taken 95 wickets at 31.24 in the subcontinent, spoke highly about Pakistan batters, especially their captain Babar Azam.
“I can’t wait to challenge myself. There are some unbelievable batters in this Pakistan line-up that I am going to have some decent challenges with. Babar is definitely high up there in the stakes of one of the best cricketers in the world that’s for sure.
“Hopefully [the pitch] has got a few there in the column for me but if we can take 20 wickets as an Australian bowling squad, I’ll be more than happy,” he concluded.
