Nathan Lyon is targeting an Ashes victory for Australia against England on home soil this winter, and he wants to be their first-choice bowler for the five-match series.
The 25-year-old spinner has been working hard with New South Wales to sharpen up his game after he gradually exerted his influence on Michael Clarke’s team in the 3-0 series defeat in England this summer.
Teenager Ashton Agar got the nod ahead of Lyon for the opening two Tests at Trent Bridge and Lord’s and, while he impressed with the bat in the first Test, he struggled for wickets and was replaced for the third Test.
Lyon came into the side with them trailing 2-0 in the series and helped avoid an embarrassing whitewash as the Aussies were only defeated once more in Durham between draws at Old Trafford and The Oval respectively.
It has given Lyon hope of playing an even greater part against England as Australia’s battle to avoid a fourth successive series defeat starts at the Gabba in Brisbane on November 21.
He said: “You have to be confident in this game. I’m confident in my own skill set to get the job done, there’s no doubt about that. I’m really happy with the way I’ve been bowling.
“I guess being around the likes of Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Shane Watson (at NSW), and there’s a lot of others you could name, is just going to help me learn about cricket and that’s what I want to do.
“I want to keep learning and keep getting better. I just want to keep enjoying life’s experiences and being around these guys and training with them is going to hopefully help my cricket career.”
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