File image of Nathan Lyon© AFP
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has accepted to live with the fact of being constantly compared to legendary bowler Shane Warne throughout his career. The 36-year-old, who once felt pressure because of the comparison, has now found peace with it. The veteran of 129 Test matches and 530 wickets, Lyon revealed that the tall figure of Warne made it difficult to establish himself in international cricket. The greatest leg-spinner of all-time, who passed away at the age of 52 in 2022, had retired from international cricket in 2007 with a massive tally of 708 Test wickets.
However, Lyon, who made his Test debut in 2011, felt the enormous pressure of filling Warne’s boot early in his career.
“I probably struggled with it early doors because you would be trying your hardest every game, but I feel like the media and the Australian public were asking, ‘who’s the next spinner? We need a spinner to do what Shane Warne did on the last day,'” Lyon told Sky Cricket.
“And I’m 10 matches into my first-class career. I’m never going to be able to do what Warnie did. Warnie’s once-in-a-generation, he’s the greatest to play the game in my opinion.
“I still feel in the shadow of Shane Warne now and I’m 129 Test matches in with 530 wickets. The thing is, I’m happy with that, and I’m comfortable with that now. A lot of us felt the pressure of Shane Warne’s shadow… and it probably took me a good five, six, seven years to understand that pressure is a privilege. And if you’ve got pressure, you’re doing OK, enjoy it,” the spinner added.
Lyon will be in action in the much-anticipated five-match Test series against India, scheduled to be played from November 22 in Perth.
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