New Delhi: Defending their World Test Championship crown would establish the current Australian team as one of the greatest sides of all time, believes their star spinner Nathan Lyon.
Australia take on South Africa in the final that begins at Lord’s from Wednesday, having beaten India to lift the title in 2023. Lyon was part of the side that scripted a 209-run win over India at The Oval and he wants to leave an imprint against South Africa too.
“It is important that we look at this week as a celebration piece. We’ve done incredibly well over the last couple of years, at home and away, and that is something that as a team, we should be really proud of,” he told the ICC.
“In my eyes, we’re on a journey to becoming a great Australian team. We’re not there yet, I’m well aware of that, but that’s our goal too. This game is another step up that ladder.”
Australia went throughout the 2023-25 cycle without losing a series, winning four the six they played but finished behind in the points table behind South Africa.
With 56 wickets in 18 matches against South Africa, Lyon is expected to be a key performer and sai he is keen to leave a mark in the final.
“Yes, we’ve been here before, but South Africa qualified first during this World Test Championship,” he said.
A haul of 553 wickets from 136 matches since debuting in 2011 has made Lyon the foremost spinner in modern Test cricket and the veteran is now motivated to leave a lasting legacy as part of two back-to-back WTC winning teams.
“Throughout these two years, they’ve done something really well to finish top, and so they deserve that home changing room leading into this game,” the 37-year-old said.
“It’s international cricket. We’re expecting an extremely hard challenge and there’s going to be a lot of problems out there, but we’re going to have to be good enough to solve those problems ASAP.”
Australia take on South Africa in the WTC final match that begins at Lord’s from Wednesday, having beaten India to lift the title in 2023. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
