Latest news with #teamSong
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Nathan Lyon passes prestigious Test cricket honour to teammate after 12 years
Nathan Lyon has decided to pass on the responsibility of being Australia's team song master after more than a decade with the prestigious role. The veteran offspinner revealed he made the call to pass the baton to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who officially led the team song for the first time last week after Australia's win over the West Indies in the first Test in Barbados. Code Sports' Dan Cherny reports Lyon wanted to pass on the songmaster duties to Carey after the World Test Championship Final, but South Africa's win put those plans on ice, given the song is only sung after Test victories. Lyon delivered a handwritten note to Carey's hotel room in Barbados, informing him he had chosen the South Australian as the new master of Under the Southern Cross I Stand. 'He was pretty taken aback by it, but yeah, it was a pretty cool moment,' said Lyon, who clarified he has no plans to retire from Test cricket yet. 'There's no talk about me retiring or even thoughts coming in my head. It's more about the team environment, making sure that I get the opportunity to pass it onto someone who I look at and absolutely love and the way he goes about it on and off the field. 'And I feel like Alex is the perfect candidate. I can't feel like I've run my race with it, and it's time for someone else to put their touch on.' Carey had filled in as songmaster for three Tests during the 2023 Ashes when Lyon was out with a calf injury. The 33-year-old joins Mike Hussey, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Ian Healy, Allan Border and Rod Marsh as custodians of the song that gets belted out after a Test match win. Hussey bestowed the honour to Lyon at the time of his retirement in early 2013, and it proved a prescient choice given the longevity of Lyon's career. 'I wasn't sure (who to choose) at the time because the team was in a bit of transition when I was coming to the end,' Hussey told on Tuesday. 'I knew deep down Nathan was a great character and I hoped he'd go on to have a long career and thankfully he has. 'I sort of made my mind up in my own mind and wrote Nathan a nice letter and just explained why I thought he was the right man to take on the great honour. 'Then we had a bit of a chat about it all and that was pretty much it. By the sound of it, it was a similar process with Nath passing it onto Alex. 'I think he's led the song more than 120 times, he's definitely done it justice. 'I think Alex will do the job wonderfully well. He's a great guy, much loved in the team and really appreciates everything that goes with playing for Australia. 'He respects the history of the game, the traditions, the past players. He has great respect for that and he's a great character. Hopefully some of his great traits get passed onto the next generation through the song.' Hussey said he was initially worried Lyon was retiring from cricket when he heard he was giving up the songmaster duties. 'It was a bit of a surprise,' the beloved middle order batter said. 'I was holding by breath a bit wondering if Nathan was going to retire, but thankfully he's not going. 'He's led the song more than any of the songmasters and he probably got to the stage where he thought his time is done with it and it's time to pass it on to someone else. 'He can probably just relax about it now because I knew he used to get a bit stressed when the time came to sing the song.' The second Test in the West Indies will be Lyon's 138th Test, and the offspinner still wants to continue playing Test cricket, driven by the goal of elusive series wins in England and India. Lyon is on 556 wickets, seven scalps behind Glenn McGrath's tally of 563 wickets on the list of Australia's all-time wicket takers. The second Test between Australia and the West Indies begins in Grenada on Friday morning (AEST). Steve Smith is expected to be available for selection following a compound finger dislocation sustained in the World Test Championship Final.
The Australian
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Cricket: Nathan Lyon not retiring but hands team song duties to Alex Carey
Nathan Lyon is adamant he's not retiring 'anytime soon' despite handing over the significant duty of leading the team song after victories to Test keeper Alex Carey. After being handed the song leadership from Mike Hussey, Lyon has led hearty renditions of Under the Southern Cross 67 times across more than a decade. But the 37-year-old spin star said it was time for someone else to 'put their touch on it' and Carey was the man. 'I've been very honoured to firstly, lead the song, but to have it for 12 years, it's been one of the biggest highlights of my career,' Lyon said ahead of the second Test against the West Indies in Grenada. 'It definitely doesn't mean I'm retiring anytime soon. 'It's more about the team environment, making sure that I get the opportunity to pass it on to someone who I look at and absolutely love in the way he goes about it on and off the field and I just feel like Alex is the perfect candidate. Nathan Lyon belts out the team song in Manchester in 2019. Picture:'I ran my race with it, and it's time for someone else to put their touch on it. 'I've loved having the privilege to lead the team song, but now I can sit back and hopefully enjoy a few wins and just relax and take it all in.' Carey took over leading the song during the 2023 Ashes after Lyon strained his calf at Lord's but only got to sing it once after the Australians failed to win another Test in the series. Lyon said he'd planned to pass on the role if Australia had won the World Test Championship final but chose the West Indies to tell Carey about the handover, which included reminding him of the legacy he was becoming a part of. 'I went up to his room the second night (of the first Test against West Indies),' Lyon explained. 'I wrote him a little hand(written) letter … and spoke to him about the reasons why I've come to the decision. 'He was pretty taken aback by it, but it was pretty cool little moment.' Alex Carey is following in Lyon's footsteps. Picture:But while Lyon is taking one step back, he said there was no finish line in sight for his 138-Test career with one major mountain still to climb. 'I've always said I want to win away in India. I want to win away in England,' Lyon said. 'We've got that opportunity in a couple years' time, but we've also got to take it Test by Test and make sure that we're doing everything here … in the West Indies right. 'Then we've got a massive summer at home with the Ashes. 'But another World Test Championship final would be on my cards for sure.'
News.com.au
30-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Australian spinner Nathan Lyon hands team song duties to Alex Carey after 12 years
Nathan Lyon is adamant he's not retiring 'anytime soon' despite handing over the significant duty of leading the team song after victories to Test keeper Alex Carey. After being handed the song leadership from Mike Hussey, Lyon has led hearty renditions of Under the Southern Cross 67 times across more than a decade. But the 37-year-old spin star said it was time for someone else to 'put their touch on it' and Carey was the man. 'I've been very honoured to firstly, lead the song, but to have it for 12 years, it's been one of the biggest highlights of my career,' Lyon said ahead of the second Test against the West Indies in Grenada. 'It definitely doesn't mean I'm retiring anytime soon. 'It's more about the team environment, making sure that I get the opportunity to pass it on to someone who I look at and absolutely love in the way he goes about it on and off the field and I just feel like Alex is the perfect candidate. 'I ran my race with it, and it's time for someone else to put their touch on it. 'I've loved having the privilege to lead the team song, but now I can sit back and hopefully enjoy a few wins and just relax and take it all in.' Carey took over leading the song during the 2023 Ashes after Lyon strained his calf at Lord's but only got to sing it once after the Australians failed to win another Test in the series. Lyon said he'd planned to pass on the role if Australia had won the World Test Championship final but chose the West Indies to tell Carey about the handover, which included reminding him of the legacy he was becoming a part of. 'I went up to his room the second night (of the first Test against West Indies),' Lyon explained. 'I wrote him a little hand(written) letter … and spoke to him about the reasons why I've come to the decision. 'He was pretty taken aback by it, but it was pretty cool little moment.' But while Lyon is taking one step back, he said there was no finish line in sight for his 138-Test career with one major mountain still to climb. 'I've always said I want to win away in India. I want to win away in England,' Lyon said. 'We've got that opportunity in a couple years' time, but we've also got to take it Test by Test and make sure that we're doing everything here … in the West Indies right. 'Then we've got a massive summer at home with the Ashes. 'But another World Test Championship final would be on my cards for sure.'
