Lyon's raw response enduring image of doco

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Despite his cruelly abbreviated role in Australia's tour to England last year, Nathan Lyon emerges as a central character in all three episodes of the third season of ‘The Test' documentary series that screens on Prime Video on May 24.

From leading the men's team song at The Oval – with the gilded ICC mace in hand following Australia’s triumph over India in the World Test Championship Final – to watching the Ashes' last rites from his home in Sydney, Lyon makes multiple cameos.

But it's the sight of Test cricket’s most successful contemporary spin bowler sobbing uncontrollably after "blowing up" his right calf during a fiery contest at Lord's that provides the most poignant moments of the documentary's latest iteration.

In the course of barely a week, Lyon went from what he rated an all-time career high by steering his team to a nail-biting win in a rearguard batting partnership with skipper Pat Cummins, to the abject low of fearing his storied career might potentially be finished.

The 36-year-old, who is currently playing for Lancashire in the UK county competition, has not viewed the final cut of 'The Test' but is comfortable at baring his distress to the world.

"I have seen that segment, but I wasn't sure if they were putting it in the doco," Lyon told cricket.com.au this week.

"It's the first time I've ever been injured, and it's also the fear of the unknown I guess.

"Never really knowing what rehab looked like or sounded like, or is it an injury you can potentially come back from.

"So that was all pretty fresh and the emotion was pretty raw.

"And I still stand by my word that, I think if I was there, we would have won the series four-nil so it was a pretty hard pill to swallow."

It's the mental anguish of knowing his Ashes campaign was over more than the physical pain of his ripped calf that reduced Lyon to a flood of tears at the back of the Lord's dressing room before teammates quietly tried to console him at day's end.

He's unsure how he'll feel when he sits down to watch 'The Test' in its entirety almost a year after that agonising setback, but believes it's the hurt of Australia's subsequent inability to win their first Ashes series in the UK since 2001 that will sting the most.

Since his maiden Ashes outing on enemy soil at Old Trafford in 2013, Lyon has taken more Test wickets in the UK (59 at 29.61 from 16 matches) than any other visiting bowler over that period.

And prior to limping from the field late on day two at Lord's, he had snared nine England wickets with four of those from stumpings executed by keeper Alex Carey as the home team's 'BazBall' approach saw batters rushing headlong to try and take down Australia's trump card.

Despite playing half as many Tests and bowling 60 fewer overs during the series, Lyon still finished with as many scalps as England's recalled frontline spinner Moeen Ali.

Furthermore, Test cricket's current seventh-highest wicket taker (with 530 from 129 matches) sees a silver lining from his injury that spawned an ambition to keep playing until 2027 when Australia next contests the Ashes in the UK.

"I still think there's going to be that burning feeling, that feeling we really missed an opportunity there," Lyon said of the campaign that saw Australia retain the urn with a 2-2 draw.

"I reckon that's going to be the more painful part of watching it.

"But I've obviously had a chance to reflect back on the injury and I probably think it's happened at the right time.

"It's reignited the flame inside me and made me realise even more the importance of cricket and the role it plays in my life, and how much I enjoy it.

"Being at home and watching the back end of the Ashes, but also taking in the AFL and (National Rugby) league grand finals, I saw the heartbreak but also the joy of celebration when a team wins something.

"It really jumped out to me how incredibly lucky we are to be able to play a sport at the highest level.

"I'm just nowhere ready to give up that opportunity and that feeling."

Prior to the injury episode, Lyon plays a central part in the documentary for his unbeaten 55-run partnership with Cummins that carried Australia to a spine-tingling win in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston.

"With ball in hand, I'm expected to win games. I'm not expected to do that with the bat," he says in 'The Test'.

But before facing a ball in that partnership which he rates the equal of any game-changing bowling effort, substitute Mitchell Marsh had run a drink out to Cummins and tried to boost the captain's confidence by reassuring him the unlikely batting pair boasted a track record of half-century partnerships.

Cummins took the information as gospel and the duo got the job done, only to subsequently learn they had never previously posted a 50-run stand in Tests and had managed the feat just twice in their preceding 57 first-class games together.

Lyon's batting becomes an even greater focus when, despite relying on crutches to get around after his calf tear, he announced he wanted to bat as Australia searched for every possible run in building their lead on day four at Lord's.

After informing his wife, Emma, of his intentions and being told "you're an idiot", Lyon unsuccessfully pleaded his case to Cummins before he found an ally in men's team coach Andrew McDonald.

Having then made his way torturously down Lord's many stairs, Lyon was met by another disapproving teammate – close friend Mitchell Starc – when he hobbled to the middle where the pair ultimately put on 15 crucial runs.

"Everyone's got a job, whether it's accountant or lawyer or ambulance, whatever it may be," Lyon tells 'The Test'.

"Some days you've got to go to work when you're uncomfortable."

Cummins admits to being unable to watch his record-breaking spinner in such a vulnerable state, in what proved Lyon's final on-field contribution to a campaign that failed to yield a win after his premature return to Australia.

However, he does feature in a couple of day-five cameos at Lord's, hopping on crutches around the dressing room offering chirpy insights in the role of Shakespearean jester as the incendiary Jonny Bairstow stumping and ensuing crowd madness plays out.

Lyon, who provides the documentary's final image from his couch at home as the post-series presentations begin on television, believes the graphic representations of his suffering provide more than an insight into the demands of professional sport.

"Any chance you can get to put the uniform on, whack the Baggy Green on and go out and play a role for the Australian team, you do it," Lyon said.

"It's what I absolutely love to do, and I've never taken it for granted.

"And hopefully all the fans of the team around the world can see that is what's so important to me as well."

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