Alpha Lyon ready to surpass Benaud

As the Prime Minister tossed the coin, Nathan Lyon watched formalities alongside the pitch. It was January 2010, he was 22 and captain of the Western Districts Cricket Club in Canberra. He was also on the ground staff at Manuka Oval where the PM's XI fixture is played annually. Lyon was in his work boots and shorts, so close yet so very far from professional cricket.

"No one is taking wickets today," Lyon said to me (then a team-mate at Wests) with a smile when asked about the track he had been involved in preparing for the Prime Minister's XI and the touring West Indies. He knew what was coming: Chris Gayle slugged 146 in 89 balls from a tally of 399 for 5 back when those numbers meant something truly excessive.

Then, Lyon was young in age but old-school in appearance, a proper cricketer rather than an athlete who happened to excel at the game, and barely more muscular than he is today. From pitch whisperer to Australia's first-choice tweaker 18 months on, the tale doesn't get any less remarkable. This week in Dhaka, barring any major glitch, he will have taken more Test wickets than Richie Benaud, for so long the gold standard in Australian spin.

Fronting in Dhaka for his 68th Test, Australia's most capped player now, at last, talks more forcefully. The words themselves don't explode but are delivered with greater oomph, reflective of his seniority. For example, in response to Shakib Al Hasan's proposition that the Bangladesh spinners are better placed to turn the series than Australia's, he stands up for the younger colleagues he is now shepherding into the international game. "It is a big statement to come out and say that," he said spikily.

It helps that Lyon is now the team's undisputed senior spinner. As recently as a year ago, he returned from a Sri Lankan pasting with a looser hold on his position than had been the case since Ashton Agar nabbed it off him momentarily in 2013. He returned home with a bowling average in Asia that had swelled to over 40. Later, he spoke about flogging himself in the nets in January to ensure the lacklustre form didn't repeat when they arrived in India in February.

It wouldn't. His 19 wickets in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was punctuated by two masterful performances. In Bengaluru, his 8 for 50 was a triumph of control. In Dharamsala's series-decider, his 5 for 92 was different, needed to drag his side back into a contest, throwing the ball up with high risk to earn maximum reward.

He speaks of the leap taken by the team during the four Tests, but the words are more directly applicable to him than any other. "We have grown a lot," he says. "It was disappointing not to get over the line. But to win a game there, in those conditions in Pune, was very special. The team got a lot of belief out of that."

Lyon can also draw from a home side full of left-handers. Overall, he buys his wickets nearly seven runs cheaper against left-handers, and for just 24 apiece when taking them on in Asia. He could be excused for quietly licking his Zinc-covered lips.

But it's noteworthy that he now won't have the experience of Steve O'Keefe as his partner, omitted despite also claiming 19 Indian wickets, including 12 in the Pune romp. Steven Smith signalled this was a decision taken with an eye to future Indian adventures that Agar and Mitchell Swepson will both be closer to their conventional prime.

That Lyon has seen off O'Keefe as a longer-term challenger for the number one spinner spot is a victory for his resilient body, always the more sturdy of the pair and seldom injured. On various occasions, the left-arm orthodox looked the more attractive of the two, but the offspinner is the last man standing.

As for O'Keefe's replacements, Lyon has given both the 23-year-olds an emphatic tick. Especially Agar. "I've seen him improve out of sight," Lyon said of the man almost certain to get the opportunity alongside him. "He's confident in his own game and he's expressing himself. You have to believe in yourself. He's in the right mindset so if Ash gets a nod, I've got no doubt he'll perform."

When asked to turn his attention to the Benaud milestone, Lyon is predictably coy. "Got to get there first," he said. "I've always said from day one in my career, at the end I'll look back and see where I get to. But I'm not here to make milestones." Just as it was the case for the politician he watched from close quarters all those years ago, no one can accuse him of departing from the script.

Like Benaud, Lyon was an Australian cricketer before he was ready for it. Unlike Benaud, with his broader responsibilities, Lyon's body and mind are focused on nothing other than wickets and wins. For that comes acclaim and attention he may never enjoy as much as many of those he shares a change room with, but it's recognition he has truly earned.