Nathan Lyon is 38 and a veteran of 143 Tests, but the off-spin great believes he is in the condition of his life.
Key to his comeback from the serious hamstring injury he suffered during last summer’s Ashes series is a self-imposed alcohol ban.
Nathan Lyon in Durban. AP Photo/Themba Hadebe
“I’m probably in the best shape of my career,” Lyon said at stumps on day three.
“The amount of work that I’ve put in, I’ve never had any doubt that I’ll get back.
“I haven’t had any alcohol for a fair while now, but I’m just trying to squeeze as much out of the lemon as possible.
“I still feel like there’s a lot of decent cricket ahead of me, that’s for sure.”
In a remarkable moment on day three, the champion quartet that is Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Lyon reached 600 Test wickets, from the 38 matches where all four have played.
Second on the list is the English quartet of Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes, who took 415 Test wickets across 31 games together.
Lyon took 2-58 on day three, claiming the prized scalp of captain Temba Bavuma before removing Kyle Verreynne.