The 37-year-old off-spinner is part of Andrew McDonald\u2019s squad to take on South Africa at Lord\u2019s in the finale of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Australia will be looking to defend the title they won in 2023 after beating India by 209 runs at The Oval, and Lyon, who took the match-winning wicket of Mohammed Siraj in that victory, wants to build on the progress that has been made since then.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt is important that we look at this week as a celebration piece. We\u2019ve 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 said in an ICC release.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIn my eyes, we\u2019re on a journey to becoming a great Australian team. We\u2019re not there yet, I\u2019m well aware of that, but that\u2019s our goal too. This game is another step up that ladder.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Australia finished second in the league table during the 2023-25 WTC cycle, having claimed 67.54 per cent of the points on offer to them. They were also the only nation not to lose a series in that time, winning four of the six series they played. Their percentage was only bettered by the table-topping Proteas\u2019 69.44 per cent.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Lyon, a New South Wales native, has taken 56 wickets against South Africa in 18 matches during his career and expects nothing less than a fierce contest with the side captained by Temba Bavuma.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYes, we\u2019ve been here before, but South Africa qualified first during this World Test Championship,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThroughout these two years, they\u2019ve done something really well to finish top, and so they deserve that home changing room leading into this game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s international cricket. We\u2019re expecting an extremely hard challenge and there\u2019s going to be a lot of problems out there, but we\u2019re going to have to be good enough to solve those problems ASAP.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Australia have plenty of firepower within their bowling ranks for this match, with five of those selected within the top 14 of the ICC men\u2019s Test bowling rankings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Lyon himself sits fifth on that list, with captain Pat Cummins in third, Josh Hazlewood in fourth, with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland in 11th and 14th, respectively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Cummins (73), Starc (72) and Lyon (66) also currently occupy positions two through four on the leading wicket-takers list for this edition of the WTC, with only India\u2019s Jasprit Bumrah ahead of them with 77 wickets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The presence of multiple experienced and skilled bowlers in the Australian camp is only improving the standards in training, revealed Lyon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs a bowling squad, we are very proud of where we are currently at. But we\u2019re not leaving any stone unturned and we\u2019re still trying to get better as a bowling group. I feel that spurs each and every one of us on to get better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Australia last played Test cricket in England during the 2023 Ashes series \u2013 the opening contest of the 2023-25 WTC cycle \u2013 but many from the squad have since taken the opportunity to return to play on the shores of the old rival.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Lyon played for Lancashire in 2024, while Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green and Beau Webster have represented Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, respectively, this season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Green\u2019s stint in England has been particularly impressive, with the all-rounder plundering 467 runs in just five County Championship Division 2 matches at an average of 66.71.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He has also scored three hundreds, including match-winning knocks of 128 and 67 not out against Kent in mid-May. And Lyon feels the 26-year-old will learn a lot from his stint in the West Country.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been amazing to have Greeny over here. I think he\u2019s played four or five games for Gloucestershire and done really well. So, hopefully, that gives him the confidence to pick things up from where he left off.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He has also scored three hundreds, including match-winning knocks of 128 and 67 not out against Kent in mid-May. And Lyon feels the 26-year-old will learn a lot from his stint in the West Country.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Also Read: <\/b> LIVE Cricket Score<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n