'It Wouldn't Surprise Me If He Gets Up Towards 40': Former Australia Skipper Mark Taylor on Nathan Lyon

Former Australia captain Mark Taylor said he is confident veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon could play Test cricket into his 40s, adding that it shouldn’t be a surprise if the same happens in future.

In the first Test at Perth against Pakistan, Lyon, who made his Test debut in 2011, became the third Australian and eighth bowler overall to take more than 500 Test wickets. Lyon had previously talked about his wish to continue till 2027 Ashes in England, and by then he will be 39.

“That wouldn’t surprise me to be totally honest because he’s still very keen and I spoke to him only recently and he talked about maybe going back to England. That’s 2027, the best part of three and a half years away.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he gets up towards 40 if he’s still enjoying it and taking wicket. I don’t see him giving it up in a hurry,” said Taylor to Wide World of Sports.

With 501 wickets in 123 games, Lyon currently sits eighth on the all-time list of most Test wickets taken, behind Muthiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708), James Anderson (690), Anil Kumble (619), Stuart Broad (604), Glenn McGrath (563), and Courtney Walsh (519).

“I don’t like saying things about history because it’s so different now. The guys of today and even my era, we played so many more games. If you say the number two in history, it means you’re forgetting about people like O’Reilly and Grimmett and some of those names from yesteryear who didn’t have the opportunity to play 123 test matches.”

“Obviously you’re eluding to the fact that Warnie would be number one, but once again, Warnie was number one because yes, he was a great spinner, but also he was able to play a lot more test matches. I don’t like ranking guys over the history of the game because it’s too far,” added Taylor on where he would rank Lyon as a bowler in Test cricket.

The second Test between Australia and Pakistan will begin on December 26, which is the Boxing Day, at the MCG. Australia have a 1-0 lead in the three-game series, after thrashing Pakistan by 360 runs in the series opener at Perth.