For all the great names who have left their mark on Adelaide Oval across more than 140 years of Test cricket, Nathan Lyon is about to become the greatest.
The indefatigable off-spinner is just one wicket away from claiming the mantle as the most successful bowler at one of cricket’s most revered venues.
Nathan Lyon is about to become the leading wicket taker at the Adelaide Oval.Credit:Getty Images
Lyon is currently tied with the most imposing spinner the game has ever seen, Shane Warne, at 56 wickets apiece, but Lyon has got there in two fewer Tests – 11 as opposed to 13 – and has a better average at the ground – 26.55 compared to 30.44.
Of course Lyon, 35, has a soft spot for the revered venue having done his groundsman’s apprenticeship there and is great mates with head curator Damian Hough.
“I think it’s a mixture of everything – the way that Damien produces the wicket with the moisture content, the grass levels, the thickness of it,” Lyon said in Adelaide on Tuesday ahead of the second Test against the West Indies, a day/night match beginning on Thursday afternoon.
“All in combination into a great wicket and that’s why I think this venue is probably the world-class leading venue.”
Mitchell Starc have 39 wickets from just seven Tests at the Adelaide Oval.Credit:Getty Images
For much of his career Lyon has bowled on Adelaide’s drop-in wicket, which was laid for the Ashes in 2013, and the ground has been Australia’s home of day/night cricket since a New Zealand Test there in 2015, which is supposed to favour fast bowlers under lights.
And certainly Mitchell Starc has had a great time after dark in Adelaide swinging the ball around, claiming 39 wickets there in just seven Tests at an average of only 17.30.
So why has it also favoured spin?
“If you talk to the batters, some batters find it hard to pick up the seam at nighttime when they’re batting, so potentially I’ll bowl a few more variations, simple things like cross seam and all that stuff to try and keep the batter guessing.”
Victoria’s Todd Murphy in action.Credit:Getty Images
Lyon is also set to go past Warne as part of a dynamic duo with Steve Smith. The pair are equal with Warne and Mark Taylor as the highest bowler-fielder wicket-taking combination in Australian history, with Taylor and Smith having taken 51 catches each off the respective spinning greats.
“Smithy actually sent me that message yesterday saying congrats that we were now equal with Tubby and Warnie,” Lyon said. “When you say it like that it’s pretty remarkable. Something that we’re both very proud of.
“To have someone like Steve Smith standing there for 90 per cent of my career it’s been pretty special. I’ve obviously got a lot of confidence in having Smithy there, and he gives me a lot of feedback on different paces, how the shape looks, etc, which is an unbelievable cricket conversation to have. So to be equal with Tubby and Warnie at the moment, hopefully we’ll overtake them pretty soon.
In a remarkable career Lyon has taken 446 wickets at 32 to be ranked eighth on the all-time list of Test wicket-takers and is coming off another eight in the first Test against the West Indies in Perth, including figures of 6-128 in the second innings.
There are few spinners coming through the system as obvious replacements whenever Lyon decides he’s had enough, but he is particularly impressed with young Victorian Todd Murphy, 22.
Murphy has 14 wickets at an average of under 18 in three Sheffield Shield matches this season, include seven wickets in his recent match against NSW as Victoria claimed an unlikely victory.
Lyon first met Murphy when invited to Victorian training by former NSW teammate Nic Maddinson to do some work with the youngster two years ago when the teams were in an Adelaide Covid bubble.
“It’s just about him learning the craft tactically, mentally, and just really honing in on that stock ball. He’s definitely got that skill set,” Lyon said.
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