HE dream is finally over for Nathan Lyon.
No, he hasn’t been dropped by Australia’s selectors for the umpteenth time. If anything, Lyon has only further entrenched himself as the country’s No.1 spinner with a tireless performance in Port Elizabeth.
Rather, it’s the dream of Nathan Lyon the batsman that fell to pieces on day three of the second Test against South Africa — much like Australia’s batting line-up in general.
After 194 days and 160 deliveries faced, Australia’s No.11 — batting at No.6 in this match — was dismissed in a Test.
It brought an end to an incredible run of not outs that stretched all the way back to the Ashes series in England.
Before his dismissal at St George’s Park, the last time Lyon was out in a Test match was when Stuart Broad bowled him for eight in Durham on August 12, 2013.
Since then, the 26-year-old had quietly accumulated 79 runs in nine innings against some of the best bowlers in world cricket, until his incredible run of Tests without being dismissed finally came to an end on Saturday when he was bowled by giant paceman Morne Morkel for 15.
In truth, ‘bowled’ doesn’t quite do justice to how Lyon got out. Having come in late on day two as a nightwatchman, he resumed batting on Saturday on 12 not out and immediately copped a barrage of short pitch bowling.
Lyon bravely batted on but eventually the task became too much for him, getting out by jumping outside the line of a Morkel bouncer and playing it off the middle of his bat straight into his off stump.
On the evidence of his sterling efforts against a rampant Proteas pace attack there’s every chance his charmed run at No.11 might well have gone on a little longer if he wasn’t sent in to save face for his more esteemed batting colleagues.
None of whom will ever hold a record as impressive as Lyon’s.
No, he hasn’t been dropped by Australia’s selectors for the umpteenth time. If anything, Lyon has only further entrenched himself as the country’s No.1 spinner with a tireless performance in Port Elizabeth.
Rather, it’s the dream of Nathan Lyon the batsman that fell to pieces on day three of the second Test against South Africa — much like Australia’s batting line-up in general.
After 194 days and 160 deliveries faced, Australia’s No.11 — batting at No.6 in this match — was dismissed in a Test.
It brought an end to an incredible run of not outs that stretched all the way back to the Ashes series in England.
Before his dismissal at St George’s Park, the last time Lyon was out in a Test match was when Stuart Broad bowled him for eight in Durham on August 12, 2013.
Since then, the 26-year-old had quietly accumulated 79 runs in nine innings against some of the best bowlers in world cricket, until his incredible run of Tests without being dismissed finally came to an end on Saturday when he was bowled by giant paceman Morne Morkel for 15.
In truth, ‘bowled’ doesn’t quite do justice to how Lyon got out. Having come in late on day two as a nightwatchman, he resumed batting on Saturday on 12 not out and immediately copped a barrage of short pitch bowling.
Lyon bravely batted on but eventually the task became too much for him, getting out by jumping outside the line of a Morkel bouncer and playing it off the middle of his bat straight into his off stump.
On the evidence of his sterling efforts against a rampant Proteas pace attack there’s every chance his charmed run at No.11 might well have gone on a little longer if he wasn’t sent in to save face for his more esteemed batting colleagues.
None of whom will ever hold a record as impressive as Lyon’s.
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