It is daunting for an Australian spinner to feature in 100 straight games for Australia in Tests, as the team is always known for its pace attack.
However, there is only one spinner who has achieved it. No, it is not the great Shane Warne, but Nathan Lyon. He is not the first Australian to do so, though.
Lyon’s ability to find treasures in the hardest of pitches is the prime reason for his longevity in the format. No Australian spinner has come any close to replacing him.
This article will reveal Nathan Lyon’s year-by-year performances in Test cricket.
| Year | MATCHES | WKTS | 5/10 WKT HAULS | BB | AVG | SR | ECON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 8 | 23 | 1/0 | 5/34 | 27.48 | 51.83 | 3.18 |
| 2012 | 10 | 36 | 1/0 | 5/68 | 33.19 | 74.47 | 2.67 |
| 2013 | 11 | 42 | 2/0 | 7/94 | 34.02 | 61.67 | 3.31 |
| 2014 | 9 | 33 | 3/1 | 7/152 | 43.3 | 73.61 | 3.52 |
| 2015 | 13 | 48 | 0/0 | 4/66 | 28.73 | 55.98 | 3.07 |
| 2016 | 11 | 41 | 0/0 | 4/91 | 36.34 | 64.00 | 3.40 |
| 2017 | 11 | 63 | 5/1 | 8/50 | 23.56 | 52.22 | 2.70 |
| 2018 | 10 | 49 | 2/0 | 6/122 | 34.02 | 75.37 | 2.70 |
| 2019 | 12 | 45 | 2/0 | 6/49 | 33.27 | 68.73 | 2.90 |
| 2020 | 3 | 14 | 2/1 | 5/50 | 18.79 | 42.21 | 2.67 |
| 2021 | 5 | 17 | 0/0 | 4/91 | 36 | 91.82 | 2.35 |
| 2022 | 11 | 47 | 3/0 | 6/128 | 29.06 | 63.94 | 2.72 |
| 2023 | 10 | 47 | 2/1 | 8/64 | 24.95 | 51.00 | 2.93 |
| 2024 | 9 | 33 | 1/1 | 6/65 | 22.69 | 49.0 | 2.77 |
| 2025 | 8 | 29 | 0/0 | 4/78 | 25.31 | 47.2 | 3.21 |
| OVERALL | 141 | 567 | 24/5 | 8/50 | 30.15 | 61.4 | 2.94 |
Being a former pitch curator, Lyon succeeded in every condition he bowled in – almost the same number of wickets in home and away.
Especially in the Indian venues, he is the leading overseas wicket-taker by far and second overall, when it comes to bowling against the men in blue.
Lyon’s best year in Test cricket came in 2017 – topping the wicket-takers list that year.
His best bowling figures of 8/50 against India also came in that year.
You can check Ravichandran Ashwin’s year-wise Test numbers to compare that with Lyon – two of the greatest spin bowlers of this era!
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