The day Lyon was 'Ponting in disguise'

He was the Lyon in sheep's clothing. The mistaken recipient of a roar from the crowd like he had never heard before. He was Ricky Ponting in disguise.

November 30, 2012. WACA Ground, Perth. Twelve overs remained in day one of Ponting's 168th and final Test match. Australia had bowled South Africa out for 225, with off-spinner Nathan Lyon cleaning up the tail to claim figures of 3-41.

"We were walking off … and I was pretty happy," Lyon recalled for cricket.com.au. "I was thinking 'great, we're in a good position, only 12 overs to go, hopefully the boys can knuckle down and get through it'.

"As we're walking off, (captain) Michael Clarke comes up to me and goes: 'Gaz, you're going to be nightwatchman'.

"I was like 'What? Surely not. I can't defend?'"

Lyon was in his 16th Test but had never been asked to protect the team's batsmen in the dying stages of a day; that was a job for Peter Siddle, the Victorian who had bowled himself to a standstill in the previous match and consequently been left out of this one.

Without Siddle, Lyon – who had impressed Clarke with an unbeaten 40 in the Caribbean earlier that year – was the man in the hot seat.

"I was pretty nervous – I'm a pretty nervous character when it comes to batting anyway," he said. "I had the vest on, the whole lot on, I was walking around the back room, and then the wicket fell."

It was Australia's second wicket inside six overs, which ordinarily would have meant the arrival of Ponting to the middle – a fact the entire WACA Ground crowd knew.

"Punter (Ponting) put his helmet on to go out, and Pup (Clarke) goes, 'No, Punt, stay here – Gaz is going out'," Lyon remembered.

"I remember walking down the race to get out to the WACA, and the fans can hear your spikes on the (concrete).

"All I could hear was, 'Get your phones out – here's Punter. How good!'

"I crossed the rope and the whole place erupted – absolutely erupted. Standing ovation."

Even Rianna Ponting, who had watched her husband bat in countless Tests, momentarily stood with the crowd, who were convinced they were witnessing history.

But no. Just a tailender trying to hold an end up.

"I got about 15 metres out and all I remember was this yeeeaah-ohhhh (groan)," Lyon added.

"Then I got sledged by the South Africans about being 'Ricky Ponting in disguise'."

Lyon got through the evening unbeaten and when David Warner fell early on the second morning, the Perth crowd – and Lyon – were finally treated to the arrival of the legendary Tasmanian.

"I was fortunate enough to bat with Ricky Ponting for the first and only time, for about six balls until I nicked one," he said.

"I was that nervous about running Punter out … I've never been so nervous running between the wickets."

For Lyon, it was the first of many trips to the middle as nightwatchman – though he's still waiting for an applause to match the one he received as Ricky Ponting in disguise.