Australian spin legend Nathan Lyon has confirmed he has no plans to retire from Test cricket anytime soon. The 37-year-old has his eyes set on one big target—winning a Test series in India, something Australia hasn’t achieved since their 2004-05 tour. With 556 wickets from 138 Tests, Lyon is already Australia’s most successful off-spinner.
Lyon Eyes India Series Win Before Retirement
“I’ve always said I want to win away in India. I want to win away in England,” Lyon told cricket.com.au. “We’ve got that opportunity in a couple of years’ time, but we’ve also got to take it Test by Test and make sure that we’re doing everything here in West Indies right.”
Against India alone, he’s taken 130 wickets in 32 Tests, yet never tasted an away series victory there. “Another World Test Championship final would be on my cards for sure,” he added, showing he’s not done chasing milestones.
Lyon Hands Over Team Song Role to Carey
While Lyon continues to pursue his cricketing goals, he’s stepped down as the team’s “song-master”. It was a role where he led the dressing room in singing “Underneath the Southern Cross” after wins. He passed this torch to wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey, who led the song after Australia’s recent win over the West Indies.
“I’ve been very honoured to firstly, lead the song, but to have it for 12 years, it’s been one of the biggest highlights of my career,” Lyon said. “It definitely doesn’t mean I’m retiring anytime soon.”
Explaining his choice, Lyon said, “I get the opportunity to pass it on to someone who I look at and absolutely love in the way he goes about it on and off the field, and I just feel like Alex is the perfect candidate.”
Reflecting on the transition, he added, “I ran my race with it. Now I can sit back and hopefully enjoy a few wins and just relax and take it all in.”
Australia will play the second Test against the West Indies on Wednesday as Lyon continues his pursuit of unfinished business.