'There's still room for improvement': Lyon on Ashes campaign

Nathan Lyon ticked off a major career goal when Australia lifted the Ashes urn on English soil, but the off-spinner says there's plenty of room for him to improve his bowling on an away Ashes tour.

It was a rollercoaster five months away from home for the off-spinner who played a key role in the back end of Australia's run to the World Cup semi-final, and Ashes campaign that saw the team retain the urn in England for the first time since 2001.

From the heights of Edgbaston where his six wickets in the fourth innings bowled Australia to a victory in the first Test and breached the home side's 'fortress' at one of their most vocal grounds to the heartbreak of that fumbled run out at Headingley, Lyon was never far from the thick of the action.

Ever a team man, he's most proud of the way the side bounced back from that third Test loss to win at Old Trafford, a victory that secured the side an unassailable series lead that eventually resulted in a 2-2 draw.

"I set myself a goal of 20 wickets, hopefully a little bit more," Lyon told cricket.com.au this week. "I took 20 wickets.

"I was happy with the way I went but think there's still more room for improvement.

"You've got to give England credit, the way they played me, it was a lot more off the back foot which on those type of wickets where it's a bit slower, nullified my bounce and pace a bit."

Lyon's 20 wickets from 242.3 overs was the most he's taken in three Ashes tours, beating the 16 wickets he took in 2015 – hardly surprising given the way he continues to improve in all conditions.

Headingley left Lyon gutted – "the worst I've ever been after a game" he concedes – the pain of that fumbled run-out opportunity compounded by the denied appeal for leg-before the very next ball, and Australia having used their last review the over before.

"The way I look at Headingley: I've been part of probably the best ever Test match to be played," Lyon said.

"I think Ben Stokes was absolutely incredible, and Jack Leach should buy me a carton of beer every year for the rest of his life.

"We probably should have won that Headingley game a lot earlier than taking it right down to where it went.

The Headingley Test finished on the fourth day, and Lyon hid himself away in a Leeds cinema the next day, where he began to find perspective.

He saw 'Angel Has Fallen' – a Gerard Butler action film about a secret service agent framed for treason who embarks on a one-man crusade to save his life, and his job.

Drawing a parallel from the high-octane Hollywood blockbuster to Lyon's plight would be flippant, at best, but the couple of hours of escapism was all part of him processing his own anguish and putting things into perspective.

"You soon realise it is a game," Lyon said.

"We're extremely lucky to do what we do. Making a mistake just proves we are human (but) it was pretty tough.

"I was lucky enough to have Emma with me to help take my mind off things, and some family was there as well.

"It was just easy to talk to those guys and Em and make sure I could forget about Headingley as quick as I could.

"We had game in Derbyshire, I didn't play but just running drinks, having a bit of banter. I'm lucky within the team we're all great mates. Everyone got around everyone."

Despite everything Lyon copped – and he still bristles at the personal abuse aimed at the players' partners and families by some sections of the English crowd, particularly in the afternoon sessions – he calls the 2019 winter one of his more enjoyable cricket tours.

"We went over there knowing everyone was going to hate us, that we were going to have 2,000 Aussies in the crowd and our families, but everyone else hates us and wants to see us lose," Lyon said.

"To have that adversity and be up against the wall … it meant as a cricket side we had to become tighter and closer and I think we did that, especially during the Ashes.

"And we were able to come out on top.

"Even though it's a 2-2 series and England were telling me I couldn't celebrate a draw, but they did exactly that during the World Cup.

"I wanted to make sure we were celebrating that moment."

Lyon will be 35 when Australia next returns to England for the chance to win an away Ashes series, and four tours would be a remarkable achievement for a man who is already Australia's third-highest wicket taker of all time.

But more immediately, it's Pakistan and New Zealand on the Test radar this summer.

"I've always said I want to challenge myself against the best players in the world, and Pakistan and New Zealand bring players up there with some of the best batters in world," Lyon said.

"So it's about being well-prepared and clear on what we need to do and how we're going to do it.

"Off the back of a pretty special winter it'll be a great opportunity for us as the Australian Cricket Team to really step it up.

"If we want to be the best team in the world and go well in this World Test Championship we need to start consistently winning series at home and away.

"We're taking small steps to get there but if we continue to have that team goal, that will put us in good stead. "

For Lyon, who already has 363 Test scalps to his name, 400 Test wickets is within reach this summer – something only 15 other men in the history of Test cricket have achieved.

"I believe in my skill that I can get anyone out in the world," he said.

"It's more about staying strong to my processes, having belief that something will give. Test cricket is a patience game, it's a problem-solving game, you've just got to hang in there and do the basics for an extremely long period of time.

"I know if I can challenge their defence for a long period of time, I'll be able to create opportunities."