'We’re on our way up to the pinnacle' - Nathan Lyon reckons Australia deserve to become the best Test team

Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon believes that the current Australian Test side has the ability to develop themselves as the world’s best side and overcome any competition. Halfway through the current Test Championship (WTC) cycle, the Pat Cummins-led team leads the team standings and Lyon feels Australia have a chance to become the world’s best Test team over the next two years.

The 34-year-old will have a big task ahead of him when the Aussies will face the Sri Lankan side for the two-match Test series. Mitchell Swepson and Glenn Maxwell may assist Lyon, who is in charge of Australia’s spin attack. Since his successful first try 11 years ago, Lyon has not enjoyed a Test or series victory in Sri Lanka. Hence, he’s determined to end the drought this time around.

“I think we deserve it [to be the best]. I know that sounds quite arrogant, but we’ve done a lot of hard work as a team and gone through some ups and downs, but I think we deserve some late reward in all our journeys. We’ve got the experience and skill to actually achieve this around the world, and we’re on a journey to becoming hopefully a great Australian cricket team, and that’s what our goal should be,” Lyon was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Test Championship is a big goal for me: Nathan Lyon

Lyon is certain that the Australian squad is still developing, which is seen by the players’ endurance and accomplishment in Pakistan, while earlier teams would have probably lost cool and patience under such situations. He believes that the team has worked very hard and all their efforts will pay off very soon.

“You have more bad days than good days in Test cricket, so we’ve been at the absolute bottom and, hopefully, we’re on our way up to the pinnacle. The Test Championship is a big goal for me. I think if we keep playing a positive brand of cricket then hopefully we’ll be in that final and give ourselves the best chance to win it,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka defeated Australia 3-2 in the recently concluded ODI series, but the visitors will be all geared up for the Test series that is set to begin on June 29, Wednesday.