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Nathan Lyon has been encouraged to rise above the frustration as his long wait for a 400th Test wicket stretched into a pivotal fourth day at the Gabba.
The Australian off spinner was tamed by Joe Root (86 not out) and Dawid Malan (80 not out) on Friday, recording figures of 0-69 from his 24 overs as England reached 2-220 at stumps to trail by only 58.
Lyon bowled nine wicketless overs on day one as Australia’s quicks tore through the tourists and has now spent almost two years in the nervous 390s.
The veteran’s quest for a 400th scalp proved a talking point throughout 2020-21, when Australia failed to bowl India out at the SCG and Gabba.
The tweaker was stuck on 399 wickets after his 100th Test proved unforgettable for all the wrong reasons, with India storming to a series victory in Brisbane in January.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
A postponed Test tour of South Africa meant Australia were forced to wait almost 11 months for a chance to don the baggy green again.
With ten overs remaining until the second new ball is available, an early Lyon wicket on Saturday would end that agonising wait and expose Ben Stokes and England’s lower order to the shiny Kookaburra.
Despite Australia’s insistence that Josh Hazlewood was fit to bowl, the quick only managed eight overs on Friday and didn’t bowl in the final session.
His absence from the attack would create a bigger job for Lyon, but one that former Australian spinner Kerry O’Keeffe believes isn’t beyond him.
“I think he’s frustrated; he’s bowled enough balls to get his wicket,” O’Keeffe said on Fox Cricket.
“He’s so close to it, could have got him (Malan) four or five times.
“The pressure is mounting, he needs to strike in that first half-hour or hour tomorrow.
“Captain Pat’s (Cummins) going to fly in, but if Root and Malan are still there at lunch they’re well in the game.”
Lyon admitted last month the milestone had been on his mind for a “fair amount of time”.
The 34-year-old has charted a remarkable path to the top of world cricket, famously working as a curator in Adelaide when given a chance to shine in Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition at the start of 2011.
Later that year, Lyon made his Test debut in Sri Lanka.
Australia’s all-time leading Test wicket takers
• Shane Warne (708)
• Glenn McGrath (563)
• Nathan Lyon (399, first Test ongoing)
• Dennis Lillee (355)
• Mitchell Johnson (313)
© AAP
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