Cummins’ Bold Endorsement of Lyon’s Test Future
Pat Cummins, the Australian cricket captain, continues to express unwavering faith in off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s ability to perform at the highest level, despite his age. The 36-year-old Lyon played a pivotal role in Australia’s 172-run Test victory over New Zealand in Wellington, claiming a 10-wicket match haul and top-scoring in the second innings with 41 runs.
In a testament to his faith in Lyon, Cummins stated that he would consider stepping down from the captaincy the day Lyon retires from international cricket.
“The only obstacle is his physical condition. If he maintains his fitness and is ready for 10 Test matches a year, or whatever it is, I would absolutely love him to play until 2027,” Cummins said in the post-match press conference after the victory on Sunday.
“I don’t foresee many obstacles in his path. I’ve already told him that I would definitely give up the captaincy the day he retires because it makes my job significantly easier,” he added.
Lyon’s Record 10-Wicket Match Haul Leads Australia to Significant Victory
Lyon has expressed his ambition to continue playing at the Test level until 2027, with the goal of joining an Ashes-winning tour to the UK. His plans were disrupted last year by a severe calf injury, which cut his campaign short.
Since his return from injury, this was Lyon’s first five-wicket haul in an innings. His performance in the match helped him surpass Courtney Walsh (519) on the list of most Test wickets, with a total of 527 wickets to his name.
“It’s a captain’s dream,” Cummins said. “There’s a real sense of calm when you have someone that good on a wicket that’s offering him some assistance.”
“It’s enjoyable, you can get creative with some of the field placements knowing he’s going to deliver the ball exactly where you want it to.”
Lyon joined an elite group as the tenth spinner to claim a ten-wicket match haul in men’s Tests in New Zealand, becoming the first Australian spinner to achieve this feat. Cummins continued to heap praise on his star teammate.
“I thought he was brilliant over the last couple of days, adapting to a few different plans but always seeming in control.”
“We had alternative plans we could switch to, but it never really felt necessary.”
“As soon as Starcy (Mitchell Starc) and Josh (Hazlewood, his opening partner) had bowled their first overs at each end, he (Lyon) was coming up and asking me when he’s coming on,” Cummins said.
“That’s great, I feel fortunate that just about every bowler in our team is like that at the moment.”
“Everyone’s eager to be the matchwinner.”
Australia currently leads the series 1-0. The two teams will face each other in the third and final Test in Christchurch on 8 March.