Nathan Lyon insists he will be fit for Australia’s opening Test against Bangladesh in Darwin on 13 August, less than a year after a serious hamstring tear forced surgery and months of rehabilitation.
Key facts first. The off-spinner went down late in last season’s third Test against England, tearing the tendon from the bone. Surgeons reattached it, Cricket Australia’s medical staff drew up a long rehab programme, and Lyon – who turns 39 in November – started pedalling. He has logged more than 700 kilometres on a road bike, and on Monday bowled for the first time at Cricket Central in Sydney.
“Yeah, 100%,” he said when asked whether he expects to line up in Darwin. “[I’m] absolutely flying. I feel really good, really confident … very happy with the way it’s gone. It’s been a lot of hard work, there’s no point in hiding behind that, a lot of long days and stuff, but that’s all been part of it.”
Performance coach Ross Herridge ticked off the medical side. “It was a pretty traumatic injury,” he explained. “He planted his right leg and then dived over that to get the ball. It just puts that hamstring under extreme stress and you’re having to withstand pretty high forces. We’ve got physical markers that we check along the way and there’s checkpoints to make sure it’s going well and so far he’s hit all of them.”
Lyon sits on 567 Test wickets, second only to Shane Warne for Australia. With a minimum 20 Tests scheduled across 11 months – Bangladesh, summer at home, then next year’s Ashes – the 600-wicket mark is within reach. Selectors, though, have been cautious. In recent interviews George Bailey and head coach Andrew McDonald suggested rotation could become necessary.
“I saw George’s comments, he’s had a phone call. I have seen Andrew’s comments, he’s had a phone call,” Lyon said, half-smiling. “But, yeah, I wouldn’t be doing all this work right now if I didn’t want to play every Test match. No one has a given right to be selected for Australia, so I know I need to make sure that I’m performing, doing all the right things. But I’m, hand on heart, set on playing every Test match I’m available for.”
Retirement? Not on his radar. The competitive urge was underlined while he watched State of Origin rugby league this month. “Seeing those guys be able to write a fairytale script for so many people in the crowd and for a professional athlete to have that ability to do that, that’s what’s really driving me at the moment,” he said. “I was sitting there with my wife and I literally said, I’m not ready to give up this, I’m missing this right now.”
Analysis – what does it all mean?
• Fitness: Lyon bowled pain-free this week. Fast-bowler style sprinting off his right leg remains the final test, but Herridge’s numbers look promising.
• Schedule: Australia play five Tests at home this summer and five away in India before the Ashes. Even one missed match dents the 600-wicket chase.
• Selection: Bailey wants options. Todd Murphy is next cab off the rank; Tanveer Sangha lurks. If Lyon starts well in Darwin, he probably keeps the spot, but competition is real.
• Age factor: Spinners often go deep into their late thirties, yet recovery times lengthen. Expect careful workload management – short spells, plenty of rest days between Tests.
For now, though, the ball is back in his hand, the bike computer keeps whirring and the hunger, plainly, is intact.
