Nathan Lyon’s heroic batting cameo on Saturday, despite the fact that he was in excruciating pain and could not walk, cemented his place in the mythology of Lord’s Cricket Ground and added his name to the annals of cricket legend.
After suffering a significant calf injury while fielding on Thursday, it seemed like Australian off-spinner Lyon would not be able to continue playing in the Ashes series.
However, practically everyone in the stadium was taken aback when he limped out to bat at number 11 as his team attempted to extend their advantage over England by scoring further runs.
What transpired next was without a doubt one of the most peculiar innings that has ever taken place at the illustrious old field.
Lyon, who was playing in his 100th straight test match, was batting in tandem with the fast bowler Mitchell Starc. As they faced some aggressive bowling, Lyon seemed like a sitting duck but was able to defend himself.
Remarkably, despite being on one leg, he played some elegant strokes; nonetheless, he was unable to run between the wickets, which meant that the only option for him and Starc to add to the total was to attempt to hit boundaries.
At one point, Starc was prevented from hitting a six by an outstanding piece of fielding on the boundary by England replacement fielder Rehan Ahmed, and in the chaos, Lyon somehow managed to jump between the wickets to finish a single before falling in a heap. [Cricketer] Starc was denied a six by an outstanding piece of fielding on the boundary by England substitute fielder Rehan Ahmed.
In the end, Lyon faced 13 balls, scored a boundary, and shared in a partnership of 15 with Starc, which enabled Australia to give England a tough 371 win target. This was 12 more runs than what England successfully chased down at Headingley in 2019 under the leadership of Ben Stokes.
In typical Australian manner, Lyon said that he did not have any reservations about making a sacrifice for the team.
“I wanted to take a swing. “I made the decision,” Lyon said. I was aware of the potential consequences, but I’d do anything for this squad, and you never know how significant a 15-run partnership may be in an Ashes match.
“I am really pleased with myself for having the courage to go there and accomplish it. If tomorrow came today, I’d do it again, and again, and again, and again, and again.”
Before making his way out to the square, Lyon, who is 35 years old, said that he had a brief conversation with the English bowler James Anderson.
“He asked me am I stupid,” Lyon remarked. “And you guessed it, I said yes.”
Lyon’s heroics most likely served as an inspiration for Starc and skipper Pat Cummings, who between them reduced England to 45-4 before the home side ended on 114-4, needing 257 runs to win on day five.