I will quit captaincy the day Nathan Lyon retires: Pat Cummins

Nathan Lyon expedited New Zealand’s collapse in the first of the two Tests, taking 6/65 in second innings following 4/43 in first innings to help Australia cruise to a 172-run in Wellington and take 1-0 lead.

Lyon, in the process, went past Courtney Walsh’s Test haul of 519 and took his tally to 527 after the Test at Basin Reserve.

The Australian is seventh in the list of top Test wicket-takers. He is closely followed by another great off-spinner of this era, Ravinchandran Ashwin, who has so far taken 507 scalps in his Test career and will likely go past Walsh in a matter of few Tests.

Lyon, who has played 128 Tests now and is 36-years-old is likely to continue playing for Australia in near future.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins went on to even say that he’d give up captaincy the day Lyon quits Test cricket.

"The only barrier really is his body, so if he looks after his body and makes sure he's right for 10 Test matches a year, or whatever it is, I'd absolutely love him to play until 2027," Cummins said in the post-match press conference after the victory on Sunday.

"And I don't think there's much that's going to get in his way.

"I've already told him the day he retires I'm definitely giving up the captaincy because it makes my life a lot easier," he added.

Lyon has expressed his desire to continue playing at the Test level until 2027, aiming to join an Ashes-winning tour to the UK. His plans were disrupted last year by a severe calf injury.

Since returning from that injury, this was Lyon’s first five-wicket haul in an innings.

"It's a captain's dream really," Cummins said on Sunday.

"There's a real sense of calm out there when you know you've got someone that good on a wicket that's giving him a little bit of help.

"It is fun really, you can get creative with some of the field placings knowing he's going to land it exactly where you want it to.”

Lyon became only the third spinner after Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan to take five wickets in an innings in nine nations. 

(with inputs from ICC)

Cricket, Australia vs New Zealand, Weillington, Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins