After off-spinner Nathan Lyon equalled Dennis Lillee at No.3 on Australia’s all-time Test wicket-takers’ list on Thursday, the 31-year-old said he hasn’t peaked yet and can do better.
On day two of the second Test match of Ashes, Lyon ended with the figures of 3 for 68. With this, the bowler equalled Dennis Lillee’s record of 355 Test wickets with only Glenn McGrath (563) and Shane Warne (708) ahead of him – two men he thinks are the “true legends” of the game.
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“I haven’t had the time to sit back and think about it. I really struggle to see myself up with the likes of Warne, McGrath and Lillee,” he said. “It doesn’t sit well with me. In my eyes those guys are true legends of the game and I’m just some bloke trying to bowl off-breaks and make people proud of the Australian cricket team,” Lyon told ICC.
Lyon, who made his Test debut in 2011, insisted that he has more to offer. “Every day I wake up, I try and get better,” he said. “Whether it’s batting, bowling, fielding, I try and get better and try and improve my cricket game.
“I feel like I can still get better, I still feel like I’m learning about bowling, about batting, about fielding. I feel like I’m still in the learning stage, I don’t think I’ve hit my peak yet to be honest, of my career.”
Talking about the match, England were bowled out for 258 in the first innings. Apart from Lyon, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins also took 3 wickets each. By the end of Day 2, Australia were 30 for 1.