The second West Indies vs Australia Test will kick off on July 3.
Veteran spinner Nathan Lyon has stepped down from his role as the song master of the Australia cricket team after a long 12 years. He has passed onto the baton to the wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey, during the celebrations, after their massive victory over the hosts West Indies in the opening Test of the three-match series.
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The spinner revealed that he went to Carey’s room after the second day’s play in Barbados and presented a hand-written letter to announce him as the leader of the team song. However, Lyon made it clear that he has his eyes set on the home Ashes series in November 2025 and has not given it a thought to hang up his boots in recent times.
“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. I ran my race with it, and it’s time for someone else to put their touch on it. It definitely doesn’t mean I’m retiring anytime soon,” he stated. (via midnight Friday AEST)
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The team song has been an honour for the Aussies for nearly fifty years since another gloveman, Rod Marsh, started the tradition. Lyon also revealed that he initially planned to hand over the prestigious duty after winning the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 Final in Lord’s Stadium.
However, Carrey became the ninth player to take up the role in the Aussie squad on Friday, following a list of legendary players including Marsh, Allan Border, David Boon, Ian Healy, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Michael Hussey and the latest song-master Lyon.
The West Indies team started a new journey under skipper Roston Chase after the resignation of their former captain Kraigg Brathwaite. The Windies pacers, Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales, wrecked the Aussie batting lineup in the first innings. They bagged a four-wicket haul and a fifer, respectively, to bundle out the WTC 2025 runners-up for just 180 runs.
But a commendable team effort from Australia’s bowling unit saw the Carribeans gain only a mere 10-run lead. In the second innings, crucial contributions from the middle-order batters including Travis Head (61), Beau Webster (63) and Carey (65), helped the team to post 310 on the scoreboard. Eventually, a five-wicket haul from pacer Josh Hazlewood powered Australia to hand a huge 159-run defeat to Chase and Co.
However, Australia would look to seal the series in the second Test in Grenada, while the West Indies would be up for a fightback. The exciting red-ball clash will commence on July 3, at the National Cricket Stadium, Grenada.
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