Lyon of Lahore: Spinner pays tribute to calm Cummins after career-defining spell

Lahore: Nathan Lyon says he doesn’t feel burdened by the pressure of bowling Australia to victory in the fourth innings of matches because Pat Cummins’ captaincy style is keeping him calm.

As the senior Australian spinner, all eyes were on Lyon on Friday to see if he could run through Pakistan and extract spin on a dry, day-five pitch in Lahore, and he duly delivered with a career-defining, five-wicket haul in the third and final Test against Pakistan.

Lyon had not taken a five-wicket haul since January 2020 against New Zealand, while Australia’s performances in the fourth innings of matches have been under the microscope.

Australia missed opportunities for victory in Sydney and Brisbane during the 2010-11 series against India, and fell one wicket short of victory on day five of the SCG Test against England in January. Add to the mix Australia’s painful 171.4 overs in the second innings of the second Test against Pakistan in Karachi, where they managed just seven wickets and had to settle for a draw, making the 115-run victory in Lahore all the sweeter.

Lyon’s 5-83 was one of his finest performances at Test level, given the significance of the series, Australia’s first in Pakistan in 24 years. He finished the series as the equal leading wicket-taker with Pat Cummins, snaring 12 wickets at 44.91.

Nathan Lyon hugs Marnus Labuschagne after dismissing Faheem Ashraf on the final day.Credit: AP

Asked whether the pressure of bowling on day five ever gets to him, Lyon responded: “No, it doesn’t.”

“The way we look at it – and having a bowler as a captain probably helps – it’s all about our squad mentality and understanding: there’s five bowlers out there to build pressure from both ends and create chances,” he said.

“You look at past games that have gone into five days and ended up in draws, we’ve been able to create chances. We’ve just let ourselves down in the field.

“Big credit goes to Pat. His captaincy has allowed us bowlers to stay really calm, really composed and trust our skill at the end of the day. This game of cricket is always in partnerships ... and I think we’ve done that really well over this tour and summer. Very rewarding.

Australia celebrate their series victory in Pakistan.Credit: AP

“I wear my heart on my sleeve and I will do anything to keep playing cricket for Australia and playing my role. You get frustrated because you’re trying so hard and things don’t seem to be going your way, but that’s where Pat, as captain, has been a really great leader in telling us bowlers to keep calm, stay composed and trust your skill set.

“If we do that for long periods of time, we’re going to compete anywhere in the world and hopefully get some really decent rewards.“

Lyon said Australia’s 1-0 series win, the team’s first in Pakistan since 1998, ranked “right up there” for achievements in a baggy green. He also praised Cummins for a “smart” declaration that enticed Pakistan to attempt an unlikely victory.

“It was about understanding the run rate throughout the whole game and understanding if we bowl our best ball and stay patient ... hopefully we get the results,” Lyon said. “We got a final reward today over 15 days of hard Test-match cricket. It’s a bloody good feeling with you, to be honest.

“Personally, I am happy with the way I bowled the whole series to be honest with you. It’s been bloody hard work. It’s probably one of the proudest series wins that I have been a part of.”

Australia won’t play another Test until late June against Sri Lanka in Galle.

“I’ve looked at the subcontinent tours as a big goal for myself and really standing out taking responsibility in the bowling attack,” Lyon said. “That doesn’t change the way I bowl. I have had a lot of experience in the subcontinent now. If I keep trusting my skill set and understanding what I’m doing really well here in the subcontinent, I’m going to get rewarded at some stage. We have played on some very challenging wickets in Pakistan, as a finger spinner.”

Meanwhile, Steve Smith is set to miss Australia’s white-ball series against Pakistan due to an elbow issue. Australia play the first of three one-day internationals on Tuesday before a one-off T20 on April 5 to round out the tour.

Cricket Australia’s head of sport science, Alex Kountouris, said: “Steve has been experiencing some minor discomfort in his left elbow during the latter stages of the Test series in Pakistan and, given he had an injury with the same elbow last year, we felt it important to manage this proactively.”

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