"He’s got years and years to go" - Michael Hussey expects Nathan Lyon to keep delivering for Australia regardless of age
Former Australian great Michael Hussey said he doesn't see an end to the road for off-spinner Nathan Lyon anytime soon. Instead, the West Australian believes the veteran cricketer still has plenty to offer the Australian Test side and expects him to continue for a few more years.
Lyon, 35, produced one of his best Test performances in the third Test against India in Nagpur, taking 11 wickets in the game to script a nine-wicket victory for Australia. Although the New South Wales spinner didn't have the desired start to the series, he bounced back with a fifer in the first innings in Delhi.
Speaking on SEN Sportsday, Hussey said Lyon has plenty of time left in international cricket if his body holds up and reckons that spinners usually enter their peak into their late 30s.
"As long as he wants really. He’s been amazing with his longevity and he’s still pretty young really. He’s got years and years to go, as long as his body keeps holding up. They always say spinners come into their peak into their 30s and maybe into their late 30s, it’s a tough art and I don’t see why he can’t keep going for a long time."
Lyon, Australia's most successful off-spinner, dismissed the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, KS Bharat, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin during his fiery performance in Indore. His dismissal of Pujara twice meant that he has accounted for the right-hander 13 times in Tests. At the post-match press conference, Rohit admitted that Lyon is arguably among the best he has faced in home conditions.
"I’d probably lean towards Kuhnemann" - Michael Hussey on the second spinner for Australia
Weighing his thoughts on Australia's second spinner, Hussey reckons Matthew Kuhnemann edges out Todd Murphy by a fraction, as he turns the ball away from right-handed batsmen. The 47-year-old explained:
"I’ve been really impressed with Murphy, he looks really good. Having said that though, I like to have the balance in the attack where you’ve got one guy spinning it into the right-hander and one guy spinning away. I’d probably lean towards Kuhnemann, but only for that reason that he’s turning the ball in the opposite direction."
Murphy made his Test debut in the first Test in Nagpur, taking seven wickets and has dismissed Virat Kohli thrice in the series.