Australian spinner Nathan Lyon hands team song duties to Alex Carey after 12 years

For more than a decade Nathan Lyon has been central to a huge amount of Australian Test wins but is stepping aside in one significant area.

Nathan Lyon is adamant he’s not retiring “anytime soon” despite handing over the significant duty of leading the team song after victories to Test keeper Alex Carey.

After being handed the song leadership from Mike Hussey, Lyon has led hearty renditions of Under the Southern Cross 67 times across more than a decade.

But the 37-year-old spin star said it was time for someone else to “put their touch on it” and Carey was the man.

“I’ve been very honoured to firstly, lead the song, but to have it for 12 years, it’s been one of the biggest highlights of my career,” Lyon said ahead of the second Test against the West Indies in Grenada.

“It definitely doesn’t mean I’m retiring anytime soon.

“It’s more about the team environment, making sure that I get the opportunity to pass it on to someone who I look at and absolutely love in the way he goes about it on and off the field and I just feel like Alex is the perfect candidate.

Nathan Lyon belts out the team song in Manchester in 2019. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

“I ran my race with it, and it’s time for someone else to put their touch on it.

“I’ve loved having the privilege to lead the team song, but now I can sit back and hopefully enjoy a few wins and just relax and take it all in.”

Carey took over leading the song during the 2023 Ashes after Lyon strained his calf at Lord’s but only got to sing it once after the Australians failed to win another Test in the series.

Lyon said he’d planned to pass on the role if Australia had won the World Test Championship final but chose the West Indies to tell Carey about the handover, which included reminding him of the legacy he was becoming a part of.

“I went up to his room the second night (of the first Test against West Indies),” Lyon explained.

“I wrote him a little hand(written) letter … and spoke to him about the reasons why I’ve come to the decision.

“He was pretty taken aback by it, but it was pretty cool little moment.”

Alex Carey is following in Lyon’s footsteps. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

But while Lyon is taking one step back, he said there was no finish line in sight for his 138-Test career with one major mountain still to climb.

“I’ve always said I want to win away in India. I want to win away in England,” Lyon said.

“We’ve got that opportunity in a couple years’ time, but we’ve also got to take it Test by Test and make sure that we’re doing everything here … in the West Indies right.

“Then we’ve got a massive summer at home with the Ashes.

“But another World Test Championship final would be on my cards for sure.”

Originally published as Australian spinner Nathan Lyon hands team song duties to Alex Carey after 12 years