5 players who have played 100 consecutive Test matches before Nathan Lyon
Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon became the first bowler in the history of Test cricket to feature in 100 consecutive Test matches for an international side. He achieved the feat after he was named in Australia’s playing XI for the second Ashes Test against England at Lord’s on Wednesday (June 28).
Lyon, who has 495 scalps from 121 Tests going into this match, hasn’t missed a single Test for Australia since August 1, 2013. He is the third Australian player, and sixth overall, to achieve this rare milestone.
It would be interesting to find out who else has achieved this enormous feat in Test cricket's history. Let’s take a look at five players who have played 100 or more consecutive Test matches for their respective national teams.
#5 Brendon McCullum (101)
The present England head coach and former captain of New Zealand was fearless while batting in any format of the game. Brendon McCullum is also seen as the brain behind England’s current aggressive style of playing in Test cricket.
McCullum played 101 consecutive Tests from 2004 to 2016 for the Black Caps - which is his entire Test career. He scored 6,453 runs in these matches with the bat at an average of 38.64, including 12 centuries. His last century, scored in his very last Test, is the fastest hundred ever scored in Test cricket's history.
With his urge to take the attack against the opposition and play big innings, McCullum was never dropped from the New Zealand Test side throughout his red-ball career.
From opening the inning to batting at No.9, McCullum was versatile in the Black Caps’ batting order. He captained the red-ball side in 31 matches between 2013 and 2016 and is credited for bringing drastic changes in the culture of New Zealand cricket during his reign.
#4 Sunil Gavaskar (106)
One of the greatest batsmen of all time, Sunil Gavaskar played 125 Test matches in his career and accumulated 10,122 runs at an average of 51.12, including 34 centuries and 45 fifties.
He dominated with the bat for two decades, in what is said to be the golden era of Test cricket. His patience, tenacity, and impeccable technique made him a standalone batter from the rest during his time.
Gavaskar astoundingly scored 774 runs on his debut Test series - against West Indies and West Indies, which India famously won. Despite playing in the era of West Indies' stunning domination of the game, the former India captain scored a ton of runs against them.
The legendary Mumbai batsman played 106 consecutive Tests between 1975 and 1987. He was the first to reach 10,000 runs in the Test format and also held the record for most Test centuries for a long time.
#3 Mark Waugh (107)
Regarded as the most stylish batters in Australian cricket history, Mark Waugh was also a reliable bowling option who could find important breakthroughs.
Waugh scored 8,029 runs at an average of 41.81 and picked up 59 wickets at 41.16 in his Test career of 128 matches that spanned over 11 years. He played 107 consecutive Tests for the Aussies from June 3, 1993, to October 19, 2002, which was his last Test against Pakistan in Sharjah.
Waugh held the record for most catches in Test cricket - 181 - until Rahul Dravid broke it in 2009. He currently stands fifth on the list of most catches in Tests.
#2 Allan Border (153)
Allan Border is credited with making Australia an indomitable force in world cricket. He was defiant in nature when it came to batting, something that didn't please the bowlers who had to bowl him.
It was Border who set Australia’s mantra to win a match at all costs. Border held the record for most Test matches as captain until Graeme Smith broke it in 2012.
Border scored 11,174 runs in 156 Tests at an average of 50.56. He played 153 consecutive Tests for an unbelievable period of 15 years. He also completed 156 catches during his glittering international career.
When he retired in 1994, Allan Border finished as the most capped Test player, with most consecutive Tests, most catches by a player in Tests, and most Tests as a captain.
#1 Alastair Cook (159)
Sir Alastair Cook surpassed Allan Border’s record of most consecutive Test matches by a player in 2018 during England’s second Test at Lord’s against Pakistan. Cook ended the 24-year-old record held by the former Australian captain.
Cook was well known for shattering records with the bat during his dynamic Test career. He became the youngest batter to score 10,000 Test runs at 31 years and 157 days, a feat jointly held by him and his Test captaincy successor Joe Root.
Sir Alastair Cook was expected to break legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 runs. However, the southpaw announced his retirement from international cricket in 2018, when he was just 33.
With 12,472 runs in 161 Tests at 45.35, Cook remains England’s highest run-getter in the red-ball format. He still plays for Essex in County cricket.