Refreshed Lyon all set for Caribbean

Australia's Test squad are en-route to the Caribbean armed with the perfect background briefing for their upcoming series in the West Indies and British Isles.

With Australia's next two Test opponents having just completed their own three-Test series – which resulted in a 1-1 draw – one player who was paying close attention to the form of the West Indies and England was spinner Nathan Lyon.

"When you're playing against those two teams you automatically have an interest in watching and seeing how they're going," Lyon said before flying out to the Caribbean.

"Definitely watched it, and enjoyed seeing England lose (the third Test) to be honest!"

Lyon has an outstanding record against both teams, having never lost a Test against the West Indies and only losing one of the eight Tests he's played against England.

A key part of Australia's Test side throughout the past three summers, Lyon said he was looking forward to the opportunity to do some damage in the spin-friendly Caribbean conditions.

"It's another challenge for me, but it's an awesome tour to be a part of, especially leading into an Ashes series," Lyon said.

 "It's going to be a tough tour, especially after the West Indies drew the series with England.

"They'll be flying over there but we're looking forward to it."

Image Id: ~/media/B3DBBC25F97248509B946ECFE89DA30CNathan Lyon is ready to tackle Australia's next international assignments // Getty Images

Lyon had a relatively short turnaround following the conclusion of the domestic season, beginning training for the international tours shortly after the end of NSW's Sheffield Shield campaign.

"It's important to refresh mentally," Lyon said, adding that his training had leaned more towards fitness than skills during the break.

"We're not going to lose skills over a couple of weeks. It's just about maintaining our skills and getting them up to speed to compete at the highest level."

Despite the busy schedule for Australia's cricketers, Lyon said he was itching to get back on the field.

"I'm sick of lifting weights and doing laps," he added.

 "I'm ready to go and looking forward to getting on the plane and getting over to the West Indies to start this Test tour in a good way and lead into an Ashes series."

This article first appeared on cricketnsw.com.au