Nathan Lyon

Early career

Nathan Lyon moved from Young to Canberra as a teenager where he went on to play for ACT Cricket's under-17s and under-19s representative teams. Lyon played for Western Districts and University of Canberra Cricket Club in ACT Grade cricket and debuted for the ACT Comets in 2008 in the Cricket Australia Cup against the South Australian Second XI where he claimed a wicket on day one. During his time with Comets Lyon was mentored by captain, and later captain-coach, Mark Higgs, who helped him in his spin bowling, getting his bowling action right as well as the tactical side including what lines to bowl and fields to set. After Lyon left the Comets he continued to keep in contact with Higgs in regards to the game.

In 2010 Nathan Lyon moved to Adelaide and worked as a member of the ground staff team at the Adelaide Oval. He played for the Prospect Cricket Club in the South Australian Grade Cricket League while continuing playing for the Comets in the Futures League. After Lyon's performance in the 2010 Futures League Twenty20 in December for the Comets in Melbourne which South Australia's Twenty20 coach Darren Berry witnessed he was selected to play for the Southern Redbacks in the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.

Domestic career

In 2010–11 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash Lyon was the leading wicket-taker where the Redbacks went on to win the competition. Lyon went on to play for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield and the Australian domestic limited-overs competition. In the same year he was selected to represent Australia A in Zimbabwe where he took 11 wickets in the tri-series to be named man of the series. Nathan Lyon has signed to play in the inaugural season of the Big Bash League for the Adelaide Strikers.In 2013, Lyon switched to New South Wales and Sydney Sixers.

Australian career

On 26 July 2011, Lyon was selected in the Australian Test squad for the tour to Sri Lanka in 2011. Nathan Lyon took two wickets for Australia against the Sri Lanka Board XI in the three-day warm-up match at the Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium. Lyon made his Test debut against Sri Lanka at Galle on 31 August 2011. Nathan Lyon took his first wicket off his first ball in Test cricket on 1 September 2011, his victim was Kumar Sangakkara. With this feat he became the third Australian (and seventeenth international player) to take his first wicket off his first ball in Test cricket, and the first Australian since Arthur Coningham, in 1894. He finished with 5/34 in his first innings, becoming the 131st player to take five wickets on debut in a Test match, and the 15th Australian player to take a caught-and-bowled dismissal on the final ball of the innings.

In November 2011, Lyon became just the seventh number 11 batsman to have the top score in his team's innings, when he scored 14 in Australia's second-innings total of 47 in the 1st Test against South Africa.

Nathan Lyon played his first Test in Australia at the Gabba starting on 1 December 2011 against New Zealand in the first Test match of the series. Lyon took 4/69 in the first innings and 3/19 in his second innings, culminating in match figures of 7/88, the best Test match bowling figures by an Australian off-spinner at the venue. He played in three of the four Tests of the subsequent home series against India—being left out of the team for the third Test on the pace-friendly WACA Ground—taking seven wickets at an average of 41.57. Former Australian off-spinner Ashley Mallett criticised Lyon's delivery method during the series, saying he had been bowling from too wide on the crease.

On 24 April 2013, Lyon was named as the only spinner in the upcoming 2013 Ashes series for the Australian squad. It held true until hours before the first match when he was dropped from out of the lineup in favour of shock debutant Ashton Agar, who then went on to score 98 on his Test debut, which was also a world record for a no. 11 batsman. However, Lyon was recalled to the team for the third Ashes Test, and in the fourth Ashes Test at Chester-le-Street, he took figures of 4/42 on the first day to help restrict England to 238 in their first innings.

On 28 December 2013, during the Boxing Day Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Lyon took his 100th Test wicket and also his first five wicket haul in Australia. Lyon became just the sixth Australian off-spinner to take 100 Test wickets.

On 5 January 2014, Lyon became only the second cricketer ever to not be dismissed in any innings during a five-Test series. Lyon made 60 runs during his six innings, with a strike rate of 52.63.

On 13 December 2014, Lyon was named man of the match in the first Test of the Border–Gavaskar Trophy series against India at the Adelaide Oval after taking a personal best haul for the match of 5 for 134 in the first innings and 7 for 152 in the second. This was the first match the Australian team had played after the passing of Phillip Hughes just two weeks earlier. After taking the final wicket of the match to secure the victory for Australia, Lyon knelt down, patted Hughes's Test number 408 that had been painted on the field for the match.

In 2015, Lyon was not named in Australia's final squad of 15 for the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Xavier Doherty was picked in his place as a specialist spin bowler.

In June 2015, Lyon took his 142nd Test wicket, passing Hugh Trumble to become the most prolific wicket-taker of all Australian off-spinners.

He made his Twenty20 International debut for Australia against India on 29 January 2016.

On 28 July 2016, Lyon became the first Australian off-spinner to take 200 Test wickets. He achieved this feat during the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium by dismissing Dhananjaya de Silva.

During the 2016 Test series between Australia and South Africa, the phrase "Nice, Garry!" became affectionately associated with Lyon after wicketkeeper Matthew Wade repeatedly yelled it after every ball bowled by the spinner. This phrase was adopted by cricket fans throughout Australia, elevating Lyon to cult hero status. A Facebook campaign was started up for fans at the 2016 Boxing Day Test against Pakistan to yell "Nice, Garry!" in unison after Lyon's third ball bowled: however, their attempts were replaced by cheering, as he took the wicket of Sami Aslam with his third delivery.

On 4 March 2017, in the second Test between Australia and India in Bangalore as part of the 2017 Australian tour of India, Lyon took figures of 8/50 and finished with the best figures ever recorded in India by a visiting bowler.

Having missed out on the Champions Trophy squad, Lyon replaced John Hastings to play for Worcestershire.

In 2017, Lyon became an Australian Apprenticeships Ambassador for the Australian Government.

On 27 August 2017, Lyon became the 8th Australian bowler and the second Australian spinner after Shane Warne to take 250 Test wickets. He achieved this feat during the first Test against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium by dismissing Mehedi Hasan Miraz.

In September 2017, in the second Test between Australia and Bangladesh in Chittagong as part of the 2017 Australian tour of Bangladesh, Lyon took match figures of 13/154 and finished with the best figures ever recorded in Asia by an Australian bowler. He also took the most wickets in a two-Test series by an Australian bowler (22).