"I still feel in the shadow of Shane Warne now" - Nathan Lyon on the pressure of living up to the legendary spinner
Veteran Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon admitted the pressure of succeeding Shane Warne as the country's primary tweaker, even after a decade at the helm. Lyon has been the unanimous first-choice spinner for Australia, playing over 125 Tests and picking up 530 wickets in the process.
Lyon debuted in 2011, four years after Warne retired. He made an instant impression, picking up a five-wicket haul on his first-ever appearance, and has remained in the squad since then.
Lyon opened up to feeling the pressure of living up to Warne right from the word go, with the feeling remaining the same even after making his mark. However, he also labeled the pressure as a 'privilege'.
"I still feel in the shadow of Shane Warne now and I'm 129 Test matches in with 530 wickets. The thing is I'm happy with that and I'm comfortable with that now. A lot of us felt the pressure of Shane Warne's shadow... and it probably took me a good five, six, seven years to understand that pressure is a privilege. And if you've got pressure, you're OK, you're doing OK, enjoy it," Lyon told Sky Cricket.
Shane Warne ended his illustrious career with 708 wickets in 145 Tests. He passed away at 52 in 2022 during a holiday in Thailand.
"He's the greatest to play the game in my opinion" - Nathan Lyon on Shane Warne
Lyon has helped Australian cricket in several ways with his consistency, and even making an impact in the difficult conditions Down Under. The Aussies will have a headache replacing him as he heads towards the twilight of his career.
Lyon is currently the third leading wicket-taker for Australia in Tests, placed only behind Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. The prospect of the veteran spinner potentially overtaking both, if he manages to stretch his career, has often been debated.
"I'm never going to be able to do what Warnie did. Warnie's once-in-a-generation, he's the greatest to play the game in my opinion and all I want to do is make my family proud, and make Shane Warne proud and just go out there and compete," Lyon remarked in the same interaction.
The spinner will be in action during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India on home soil later this year. He recently played for Lancashire in the County Championship season.