Australian skipper Pat Cummins wants Nathan Lyon to play Test cricket until 2017 after his six-wicket haul helped the visitors register a 172-run win over Tim Southee-led New Zealand. Cummins also made a big statement that he will give up the captaincy in the format the day when Lyon would announce his retirement.
"The only barrier really is his body, so if he looks after his body and makes sure he's right for 10 Test matches a year, or whatever it is, I'd absolutely love him to play until 2027," Cummins said in the post-match presentation.
"And I don't think there's much that's going to get in his way."
"I've already told him the day he retires I'm definitely giving up the captaincy because it makes my life a helluva lot easier."
"It's a captain's dream really," Cummins said.
Lyon makes Cummins’ job easier
Cummins went on to admit that he enjoys setting the field for Lyon who picked up six wickets in the fourth innings to bowl out New Zealand for 196.
"There's a real sense of calm out there when you know you've got someone that good on a wicket that's giving him a little bit of help. It's fun really, you can get creative with some of the field placings knowing he's going to land it exactly where you want it to. I thought he was brilliant over the last couple of days, bouncing through a few different plans, but it always just felt like he was in control," Cummins added.
"And it felt like we had plan B, C and D we could go to as well, but never really felt like we had to."
Lyon’s massive feats
In the Wellington Test, Lyon surpassed West Indies legend Courtney Walsh to become the all-time seventh-highest wicket-taker in the format. He will be chasing Glenn McGrath on the list who has 563 Test wickets to his name.
In addition, the 37-year-old achieved a major feat with the bat as well. Sent in as nightwatchman, Lyon missed his maiden half-century and was dismissed for 41. However, he became the first batter in the history of Test cricket to complete 1,500 runs without scoring a fifty.
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