• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Similar To Headingley Thanks Marais Lyon Shares Umpire Erasmus Witty Remark

'Similar to Headingley? Thanks, Marais' - Lyon Shares Umpire Erasmus' Witty Remark

Vaibhav Tripathi

image-ljfl7mfvLyon celebrating the Edgbaston win with skipper Cummins (AP Photo)

Veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon shared an interesting incident involving umpire Marais Erasmus following Australia's nail-biting victory over England by two wickets in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.

With Australia's innings coming down to the wire and only two wickets remaining, Lyon and Pat Cummins had to hold their ground. This intense situation added to the excitement of the Ashes 2023 opener.

With Australia having only two wickets left, Erasmus remarked, “Oh, this will be a bit similar to Headingley.”

Lyon responded by saying, “Yeah, thanks Marais (Erasmus), one way to calm my nerves."

The ace spinner chuckled as he recalled the exchange, grateful for the umpire's attempt to calm his nerves.

The reference to Headingley alluded to the memorable Test match in 2019 where England triumphed over Australia by one wicket, despite a meagre first innings total of 67. Lyon had missed a crucial run-out opportunity, and there was also the contentious LBW appeal against Ben Stokes that was turned down due to Australia exhausting their appeals.

After the Edgbaston Test, captain Pat Cummins acknowledged that the memory of the Headingley Test lingered in his mind. In pursuit of a target of 281 runs in the fourth innings, Cummins (44*) and Lyon (16*) displayed exceptional composure, forging an unbeaten partnership of 55 runs for the ninth wicket to secure victory for Australia.

Lyon revealed that he and Cummins did not explicitly discuss the past, but Cummins remained remarkably composed throughout. Lyon appreciated Cummins' ability to lighten the mood and maintain a relaxed atmosphere, attributing his personal success to the captain's support during their crucial partnership.

"Pat (Cummins) and I didn't talk about it. Pat was really calm. Every time us bowlers tend to bat. We try and lighten each other's mood a little bit, try and get us to smile and relax a little bit. Pat played a pretty amazing role just with me personally," Lyon added.

Lyon's humorous recollection of Erasmus' remark provided a light moment amidst the intensity, highlighting the camaraderie and mental strength within the Aussie change room.

Nevertheless, Australia have started the Lord's Test positively after losing the start. Veteran opener David Warner has finally found his form back as he pushed England on the back in the first session of Day 1.