We can be GOATS

NATHAN Lyon believes the ICC World Test Championship Final represents a significant step in Australia’s quest to become one of the all-time great Test teams.

The 37-year-old off-spinner is part of Andrew McDonald’s squad to take on South Africa at Lord’s in the finale of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.

Australia will be looking to defend the title they won in 2023 after beating India by 209 runs at The Oval, and Lyon, who took the match-winning wicket of Mohammed Siraj in that victory, wants to build on the progress that has been made since then.

He says: “It is important that we look at this week as a celebration piece.

“We’ve done incredibly well over the last couple of years, at home and away, and that is something that as a team, we should be really proud of.

“In my eyes, we’re on a journey to becoming a great Australian team. We’re not there yet, I’m well aware of that, but that’s our goal too.

“This game is another step up that ladder.”

Australia finished second in the league table during the 2023-25 WTC cycle, having claimed 67.54 per cent of the points on offer to them.

They were also the only nation not to lose a series in that time, winning four of the six series they played.

Their percentage was only bettered by the table-topping Proteas’ 69.44 percent.