When the cult of Nathan Lyon hit Melbourne

It's hard to know what has been the biggest fad of the 2016 festive season: Hatchimals or "Nice, Garry". The cult of Nathan Lyon began at the Gabba, where large sections of the crowd during the first Test against Pakistan turned him into an object of idolatry, and it only gained in momentum in Melbourne.

A Facebook campaign in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test was encouraging fans to yell "Niiiiice Garry" - Lyon is nicknamed after former AFL footballer Garry Lyon - after his third ball of the Test, mimicking the words of wicketkeeper Matthew Wade.

And so, when Lyon was called on by Steven Smith to bowl the 12th over of the Test, cheers went around the MCG as if it was local hero Merv Hughes bowling, not an offspinner who has played for South Australia and New South Wales.

As Lyon prepared to deliver his third ball, spectators all around the ground rose to their feet, ready for their communal roar after the delivery. They could hardly have asked for a more perfect response from Lyon, who sent down a fizzing offbreak that clipped Sami Aslam's edge and was taken at slip by the Australian captain.

"Nice Garry" gave way to roars of celebration from the nearly 50,000 fans who had made it into the MCG in the first hour. At the Gabba, Queensland captain Usman Khawaja commented that he had been usurped by Lyon in the eyes of the local fans. Just imagine when Lyon bowls on his actual home ground in the third Test at the SCG.