Veteran Australia spinner Nathan Lyon is wary of the threat South Africa’s batting line-up has ahead of the ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord’s as well. However, the defending World Test Championship winners head into the WTC Final that begins on June 11 as well. Lyon also said while the experience of playing in the last WTC Final will help Australia at Lord’s, he knows anything is possible in the final as well.
“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’s going to be, it’s on our side isn’t it but it doesn’t mean anything when you come to the game,” Lyon said at Australia training in Beckenham.
“South Africa have got some world class batters and obviously they’ve got some unbelievable bowlers there as well so it’s going to be a good challenge and obviously it’s a one-off Test match. It’s going to be different challenge and with foreign conditions and the Dukes ball. It’s going to be two best bowling attacks going at each other which is another exciting thing so it’s going to be a good challenge for all batters,” he added.
The veteran also celebrate as they won the 2023 World Test Championship Final against India as well. However, South Africa opener Ryan Rickelton heads into the final on the back of a stunning knock of 259 in his most recent red-ball match, while captain Temba Bavuma and experienced right-handed batter David Bedingham both scored more than 600 runs during the World Test Championship cycle as well.
“I’m a cricket nuffie, so I’ve watched a fair amount of cricket and even tuned into their (South Africa’s tour) game at the moment against Zimbabwe,” Lyon again said. “They’ve got some class players as I said with the likes of Aiden Markram, Rickelton at the top of the order there, they’re class players, there’s no point in hiding behind that fact either. I played against Bedingham last year here in county ricket and he’s a special player, so at the end of the day it’s going to be guys who do the basics…and enjoy the pressure moments.”
“I had a little break after Sri Lanka to try and get my hip right and now that’s all good to go. I honestly haven’t stopped training since the end of Sri Lanka and bowling wise I’ve been probably going for a good five to six weeks now. My numbers and where I’m 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,” Nathan Lyon concluded.
