Permanence of Nathan Lyon: a special century beckons at Lord’s
For all Nathan Lyon’s batting heroics at Edgbaston – his drive through mid-off and flick over mid-on against Stuart Broad will go down in Australian Ashes folklore – he is unlikely to get the chance to raise his bat for a century. However, he can acknowledge such a landmark when the coin goes up at Lord’s, because he will join the small group of players to appear in 100 consecutive Test matches.
Lyon will be the first specialist bowler and third Australian after Allan Border (153 Tests) and Mark Waugh (107) to play a hundred Tests without a break. Border didn’t miss a game from his fourth Test onwards, while Waugh went on an unbroken run after being recalled for the 1993 Ashes. The others on the list are Alastair Cook (159), Sunil Gavaskar (106) and England’s current coach Brendon McCullum (101) whose entire Test career was played without an absence.
“It’ll be extremely special,” Lyon said after throwing out the first pitch at the MLB London game. “One hundred consecutive Test matches for anyone is a pretty special feat. I hate talking about myself but that’s one record I’m extremely proud of. Especially being a bowler and No. 11 batter that you’re able to get that feat done and tick off 100 consecutive games, that’s something that I’ll be extremely proud of when it happens and more importantly when my career is done.”
“It’ll be extremely special,” Lyon said after throwing out the first pitch at the MLB London game. “One hundred consecutive Test matches for anyone is a pretty special feat. I hate talking about myself but that’s one record I’m extremely proud of. Especially being a bowler and No. 11 batter that you’re able to get that feat done and tick.
