Congratulations to Nathan Lyon for joining the 500 wicket spinners club
Patrick Skene | December 18, 2023
Congratulations to Nathan Lyon for joining the 500 wicket spinners club - a special group reserved for the greats of the game - Warney, Murali & Kumble & one of only 8 bowlers in Test history to reach the milestone. Growing up in Young, a 4 hour drive from Sydney, Lyon was thrown into the cricketing deep end and recalls his baptism of fire fondly:
“I was a pretty tiny fella growing up and I was also playing A-Grade at the age of 12 and that was against men. And they didn’t hold back at all. That was the deal. I was there to compete, like anyone else,” Lyon said.
"You learn a lot quicker as a country kid, I dare say. It was pretty amazing."
His dream of playing for Australia looked all but gone as he worked hard as a groundsman at the Adelaide Oval, having moved to South Australia for opportunity.
But he stuck at it and took his chances when they came, getting a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket.
“I never lost the dream but I probably felt like it was probably a little bit further away. I thought I was getting old at that stage,” Lyon said.
“I know what real life is like. I know what getting up at 5:30am every day is like, to go to work five days a week, sometimes on the weekends, working overtime."
“You end up chasing around the $10 ‘schnitty’ nights, or (cheap) rump steaks around the pubs, which isn’t ideal. But you understand … the value of it."
South Australian state coach Darren Berry was the one who provided the breakthrough moment:
"We were doing a centre-wicket practice session," Berry recalls.
"Someone said, 'That bloke on the roller is a pretty good off spinner' and I said, 'Who is he?' and they said, 'Nathan Lyon, he's playing for Prospect and he's a groundsman'."
"He was a very shy country kid, almost in awe of the state team. So I walked over to him and said, 'Mate, come and have a bowl' and he was all, 'Oh mate, gotta roll the wickets', but I insisted."
"I thought straightaway, 'This is special, this isn't just a flat offie'."
Lyon suffered from imposter syndrome early in his Australian test career according to his mentor John Davison:
"He was always looking over his shoulder, because the press and everyone saw him as a stopgap, waiting for the next big match-winning spinner to come along."
Following Shane Warne was a tough assignment but Lyon continued to develop his craft even when he fought to keep his position in the team before finally becoming an automatic selection and cult hero.
Now his boots will be hard to fill by his successor(s) who will struggle to match his drift, dip, and bounce and in the second half of his career he is now getting deserved respect and appreciation.
A salute to Nathan Lyon - a humble and unlikely Australian cricket legend whose persistence and resilience have been rewarded with one of the great Test cricket careers.
Credit: Sport360
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