Australia veteran spinner scripted history after he turned up for his 100th consecutive Test for the national team on Wednesday, playing in the second Ashes Test match against England at the Lord's Cricket Ground. This feat is evidence of the longevity of the spinner and it proves that the veteran is undroppable in the longest format of the game.
When it comes to bowlers, nobody has ever featured in 100 consecutive Tests. On the other hand, former England skipper Alastair Cook tops the list of batters.
Players with the most successive Tests:
- 159 - Alastair Cook
- 153 - Allan Border
- 107 - Mark Waugh
- 106 - Sunil Gavaskar
- 101 - Brendon McCullum
- 100* - Nathan Lyon
Lyon said: "I don't feel like I need to change much. I actually really enjoy bowling here using the slope to our advantage as bowlers. But it's a different challenge, it's a different wicket. We're not sure what the wicket is going to look like on day one, whether it's going to be overcast or whatnot. So if the seamers do the work and I don't have to do much, that's all well and good. I'm happy to put my hand up in the tough situations, and we'll have a crack and see how we go."
Australia skipper Pat Cummins also lauded Lyon’s achievement. While talking to cricket.com.au, "It's a testament to not only how good Nath is in terms of longevity and fitness and form, but to be able to play 100 Tests means you're getting picked in all conditions”.
Lyon has taken part in 121 Test matches so far and scalped 495 wickets with an average of 30.99 with the best bowling figures of 8/50 in an inning and 13/154 in a match. His contribution to the Australian team especially in the longest format of the game clearly goes beyond his finesse as he has not been left out since 99 matches.