Song-Master role in the Australian cricket team: A veteran of 138 Test matches, 37-year-old Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has handed over his song-master duties to wicket-keeper Alex Carey. Does this perhaps signify that Lyon is nearing the end of his international career?
Lyon was the eighth song-master in the Australian cricket team, and served the longest period of them all, after being handed the duty by Mike Hussey in 2013 when the left-hander retired.
The off-spinner who is hailed as the ‘GOAT’ (i.e., the greatest Australian off-spinner) has now passed on the song-master task to Carey.
So what is this song-master role in the Australian cricket team that Nathan Lyon has stepped down from?
In 1974, after Australia beat England at the Gabba, Rod Marsh started a tradition in which the Australian cricket team would get together and sing the song ‘Under The Southern Cross I Stand’ after each Test match win. The song-master starts the song and leads everyone into singing it.
Nathan Lyon was the song-master from 2013 to 2025 and now has handed this duty to Alex Carey, who is the ninth song-master in the Australian cricket team, starting from Rod Marsh in 1974.
In between, the other song-masters were Allan Border, David Boon, Ian Healy, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, and Mike Hussey.
Lyon had this role for 119 Tests and got to perform it in 67 Tests that Australia won.
The passing on of the song-master duty from Lyon to Carey is unique since Lyon is an active member of the Test team and will continue playing on, while previously, the duty was passed on when a song-master retired.
“I’ve been very honoured to first lead the song, but to have it for 12, 13 years, it’s been one of the biggest highlights of my career,” Lyon said.
Lyon said Carey is the “perfect candidate” to take over the song-master role from him.
“It’s more about the team environment and making sure that I get the opportunity to pass it on to someone who I look at and absolutely love and the way he goes about it on and off the field. I just feel like Alex is the perfect candidate. I feel like I ran my race with it and it’s time for someone else to put their touch on it,” he added.
While Nathan Lyon has given up his song-master duty, he certainly isn’t thinking of retiring yet. His goal remains to win a Test series in India and England, which he has yet to accomplish.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, but this definitely doesn’t mean I’m retiring anytime soon. There’s no talk about me retiring or even thoughts coming in my head I’ve always said I want to win away in India, and I want to win away in England. Obviously, we’ve got that opportunity in a couple of years’ time,” he added.
In 138 Tests, Lyon has claimed 556 wickets, the third-most for Australia behind Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563), with 24 five-wicket hauls.
Currently, Lyon and Australia are in the West Indies, where they have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series with a win in the first Test in Barbados.
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