Wellington (New Zealand): Australia skipper Pat Cummins on Sunday backed veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon to play Test cricket until the 2027 World Test Championship final, saying he would give up on Australia's captaincy, the day Lyon would announce his retirement.
Lyon put out an excellent display of spin-bowling against New Zealand, claiming his 24th five-for in Tests on day four of the first Test here on Sunday. With his figures of 6 for 65, he has also become the only third spinner to attain five-wicket hauls in nine different nations, joining the elite club of legendary Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and late Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Pat Cummins said, "The only barrier is his body, so if he looks after his body and makes sure he's right for 10 Test matches a year, or whatever it is, I'd absolutely love him to play until 2027."
"I don't think there's much that's going to get in his way. I've already told him the day he retires I'm definitely giving up the captaincy because it makes my life a helluva lot easier. It's a captain's dream really," he added.
Lyon (10 for 108), who recently completed 500 Test wickets, registered his fifth 10-wicket match haul in his illustrious Test career. Notably, this was the first-ever 10-wicket haul by a spinner in New Zealand since 2006.
"There's a real sense of calm out there when you know you've got someone that good on a wicket that's giving him a little bit of help. It's fun really, you can get creative with some of the field placings knowing he's going to land it exactly where you want it to. I thought he was brilliant over the last couple of days, bouncing through a few different plans, but it always just felt like he was in control," added Cummins.
"And it felt like we had plan B, C and D we could go to as well, but never really felt like we had to," the 30-year-old mentioned.
Lyon's six-for in the fourth innings guided the visitors to register a comprehensive victory over New Zealand by 172 runs in their backyard. The Kangaroos have 17 wins out of 20 Tests against their arch-rivals in the last two decades. The second and final Test match will begin in Christchurch on March 8.
Read More
- 'Absolutely Not under Threat...', Says Skipper Pat Cummins on Labuschagne's Poor Form
- AUS vs NZ | Nathan Lyon orchestrates 172-run win for Australia with five-for in first Test
- NZ vs AUS 1st Test Day 3: Rachin's Fifty and Phillips' Five-for Keep New Zealand Alive
- WATCH | Kane Williamson’s Bizarre Run-Out due to mid-pitch collision
- NZ vs AUS 1st Test Day 2: Australia Lead by 217 Runs as Lyon Dismantles Kiwis' Batting Line Up
