Australian captain Pat Cummins has predicted that off-spinner Nathan Lyon could reach 700 Test wickets, given he still has couple of years left in him as a cricketer. He revealed that his team is relaxed going into the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, scheduled to take place from December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Lyon recorded the milestone of 500 Test scalps on Day 4 of the first Test against the Shan Masood-led team in Perth. The 35-year-old took his 500th wicket in the form of Faheem Ashraf in the 28th over of Pakistan’s second innings as Australia won the contest by 360 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Cummins reckons the 35-year-old can play for another 4-5 years. He urged his teammates to enjoy before the next game starts on December 26.
“Nathan Lyon can play 40-50 Test matches in another four or five years. He can touch the 700-wicket mark. We know how to win matches in Australia. However, it is not easy to play and win away from home. We will have a good week before playing Boxing Day Test,” he added.
Australia gave a target of 450 runs to Pakistan but the rivals were bowled out for 89 runs.
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Australian captain Pat Cummins believes that off-spinner Nathan Lyon has the potential to reach 700 Test wickets. Lyon recently achieved the milestone of 500 Test scalps during the first Test against Pakistan. Cummins stated that Lyon could play for another 4-5 years and potentially reach the 700-wicket mark. Australia won the first Test by 360 runs and Cummins urged his teammates to enjoy themselves before the upcoming Boxing Day Test. Cummins also acknowledged the challenges of winning away from home and expressed confidence in his team’s ability to win matches in Australia.
