London [UK], June 7 (ANI): Australian spin veteran Nathan Lyon expressed excitement at the idea of taking on world-class South African batters during the ICC World Test Championship final, noting the quality in their batting line-up with Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton at the top and his county cricket opponent from last year, David Bedingham.
Australia will aim to become the first team to defend the ICC WTC mace as the ‘Ultimate Test’ starts on June 11.
Lyon, with 553 Test wickets to his name, heads to the UK as a favourite to dominate at the Lord’s, but he does not want his side to underestimate a solid Proteas batting attack, which has displayed moments of brilliance throughout this WTC cycle from 2023-25.
Lyon said that while the experience of playing the last WTC final here in the UK would help Australia, anything is possible in a one-off, championship title Test match.
“Having the experience of the guys who have won three (50-over) World Cups and T20 World Cups and obviously the World Test Championship final a couple of years ago, that experience and that pressure in those higher games, it is going to be, it is on our side is not it but it does not mean anything when you come to the game,” Lyon said at Australia training in Beckenham on Thursday as quoted by ICC.
“South Africa has some world-class batters and obviously some unbelievable bowlers there as well, so it is going to be a good challenge. Obviously, it is a one-off Test match. It will be a different challenge with foreign conditions and the Dukes ball.”
“It is going to be two of the best bowling attacks going at each other, which is another exciting thing, so it is going to be a good challenge for all batters,” he concluded his point.
Rickelton, who heads into the UK with a fine knock of 259 against Pakistan at home, is a player to watch out for after a solid Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 388 runs in 14 outings with three fifties. Skipper Temba Bavuma and Bedingham also produced some gems, which helped them score 600-plus runs in the WTC cycle, which was topped by South Africa.
Lyon, who played legends like AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis during his early years in the Australian side, is well aware of the South African talent pool.
“I am a cricket nuffie, so I have watched a fair amount of cricket and even tuned into their (South Africa’s tour) game at the moment against Zimbabwe,” Lyon said.
“They have got some class players, as I said, with the likes of Aiden Markram, Rickelton at the top of the order there, they are class players, there is no point in hiding behind that fact either. I played against Bedingham here in county cricket last year and he is a special player, so at the end of the day it will be guys who do the basics…and enjoy the pressure moments,” he added.
While Lyon has not played any competitive cricket since his appearance in Sri Lanka during the Test series in February, the 37-year-old feels fitter than ever, eager to perform at his best.
“I had a little break after Sri Lanka to try and get my hip right, and now that is all good to go,” Lyon said.
“I honestly have not stopped training since the end of Sri Lanka, and bowling-wise, I have been probably going for a good five to six weeks now.
“My numbers and where I am at workload and all that stuff is where we want it and skill wise and (how the ball is) coming out of my hand is exactly the way I want at the moment,” he concluded.
Australia squad for WTC final: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann. Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett. (ANI)
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