"Umpire Marais Erasmus told me this will be a bit similar to Headingley" - Nathan Lyon on Australia's thrilling chase in 1st Test
Nathan Lyon revealed umpire Marais Erasmus' message during the first Ashes Test, which saw Australia winning a thriller over England by two wickets last week.
Both teams fought intensely in the five-day period with a lot of twists and turns involved in the last two days of the pulsating curtain-raiser at Edgbaston.
While chasing 281 runs in the second innings, Pat Cummins (44*) and Lyon (16*) put up an unbeaten stand of 55 runs for the ninth wicket to take the visitors over the line.
Speaking to cricket.com.au on the eve of the second Test, Lyon mentioned that on-field umpire Erasmus reminded him of the Headingley Test of the 2019 Ashes.
Lyon said:
"Marais, the umpire, said, 'Oh, this will be a bit similar to Headingley.' And I said, Yeah, thanks Marais, one way to calm my nerves."
Nathan Lyon was already on edge during the tense #Ashes run chase at Edgbaston, and an icebreaker from umpire Marais Erasmus didn't help! 😂 https://t.co/Tp2LAL6W5X
England's current Test captain Ben Stokes snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Australia in the third Test in the 2019 Ashes. The hosts needed 73 runs while chasing 359 at Leeds with just one wicket in hand.
That's when the star England all-rounder stepped up to produce a sublime counter-attacking knock. He remained unbeaten on 135 as England won by one wicket in a fashionable manner.
"Pat played a pretty amazing role just with me personally" - Nathan Lyon on final-hour chase
Nathan Lyon fumbled for a run-out chance against Stokes at Headingley four years back. Interestingly, he got a reprieve from the England skipper when he was batting on 2 in the first Test.
Stokes made a brilliant effort to attempt a one-handed catch off Stuart Broad, however, he could not hold it down at the last minute. Lyon later hit two boundaries in his 28-ball 16 run knock.
Speaking on how Pat Cummins helped him to stay calm from the other end while batting in those crunch moments, Lyon stated:
"Pat and I didn't talk about it. Pat was really calm. Every time us bowlers tend to bat. We try and lighten each other's mood a little bit, try and get us to smile and relax a little bit. Pat played a pretty amazing role just with me personally."
Nathan Lyon will play his 100th consecutive Test match in the upcoming second Ashes Test at Lord's, starting on Wednesday, June 28.