"This bloke looks pretty average" - Tim Paine recalls amusing first memory of Nathan Lyon
Tim Paine didn't think too highly of Nathan Lyon when he saw him bowl for the first time. In fact, the current Australia Test skipper found the off-spinner "pretty average" and thought he could take him to the cleaners if they face each other.
Nathan Lyon is currently playing in his 100th Test for Australia. He became only the 13th Australian to reach the three-figure mark in Test appearances made.
The 33-year-old is the most successful off-spinner for his country. Lyon is just four short of 400 wickets and has an average of just under 32 with 18 five-wicket hauls to his name.
Addressing a recent press conference, Tim Paine remembered the first time he saw Nathan Lyon bowl in the Big Bash League.
"I think the first time I saw him was in a Big Bash game, watching him on the telly, and I thought 'geez this bloke looks pretty average!' Just lobbing up these off-spinners and getting a bit of drift but he didn't look that flash, I thought, old Gaz," said Tim Paine.
Paine talked through Nathan Lyon's first tour with him and his debut international series, and how those matches changed his opinion about the spinner.
"But not long after he was sort of picked out of nowhere and we went on 'A' tour to Zimbabwe of which I was captain, the one-day part of it, and he absolutely bowled the house down. Within two or three games we knew he had something pretty special on his hands. Literally the next tour he was picked to play in a Test series in Sri Lanka," said Paine
"Nathan Lyon has amazed everyone with his journey" - Tim Paine
Nathan Lyon was a curator at the Adelaide Oval. He was spotted by South Australia's coach Darren Berry who lifted him up from there. That was the only luck Lyon needed as he constructed a great career with sheer hard work.
Adding to the praise, Tim Paine commended Lyon's consistency as well.
"So yeah, my very first one was 'gee I hope that guy plays against Tassie because I'll line him up' then about two months later I was wicketkeeping in Zimbabwe and I had a completely different opinion of him. He's amazed everyone with his journey and where he's come from and his ability to keep delivering," said Paine.
Indian batsmen have managed to keep Nathan Lyon rather quiet in the ongoing series. However, it won't be a surprise if the off-spinner joins the party for good at the bouncy Gabba wicket.