australian giants nathan lyon He says he is on track to return for the opening Test against Bangladesh in Darwin next month after making significant progress in his recovery from a hamstring injury. The veteran off-spinner has not played a match since suffering an injury during the third Ashes Test in December. Lyon underwent surgery to reconstruct a damaged hamstring and has since focused on regaining full fitness ahead of a tough tour of Australia, with 20-21 Tests scheduled over the next 13 months. The first Test against Bangladesh begins in Darwin on August 13 and the 38-year-old is optimistic of regaining his place in the playing eleven. “I’m pretty confident I’ll be here next month,” Lyon told reporters in Darwin. “I’m feeling great. Rehab has been really good. It’s been about 26 weeks now since I had surgery and I’m back to doing everything. Running fast, doing everything like that. I’m looking forward to it.” Lyon, who has played 141 Tests for Australia, is the country’s fifth most capped male Test cricketer. He is now just four matches away from being level with the legendary leg spinner shane warneWho finished his career with 145 test matches. The off-spinner was left out of Australia’s two most recent pink-ball Tests in Kingston and Brisbane, where the selectors opted for a pace attack. However, with both the Darwin and Mackay Tests against Bangladesh scheduled as day matches, Lyon is expected to return to his familiar role. Australia’s busy Test calendar also includes challenging series against South Africa, India and England and Lyon believes he still has a lot to offer despite reaching the final stages of his career. “I’m still trying to get better,” he said. “I still feel there is a lot for me to learn there, and I still feel I have a big role to play in Cricket Australia. “You’re always feeling pressure; no one deserves to be selected for Australia… It’s not just my position that people are going for; people are trying to knock down steve smith Too. This is the challenge that will keep us older friends alert. “It’s a big training program now to make sure we go out here ready on August 13, and then after we get that done we’ll worry about the next series.” Lyon’s recovery following the severity of his injury has attracted considerable attention. Cricket Australia’s physical performance coach Ross Herridge described the hamstring injury as “pretty painful”, while national selector george bailey Admitted that there was uncertainty over whether the veteran could return to his previous level. The inclusion of Todd Murphy in Cricket Australia’s central contract list also fueled speculation about Lyon’s long-term future in the Test team. Reflecting on the injury earlier this year, Bailey said: “A hamstring tendon injury for a 38-year-old is quite significant, perhaps it’s a high level injury, or a sense of realism that it may never get back to the upper level where you need it to be. “So what does that look like? It might mean that the ability to play big blocks of games isn’t necessarily important, and you have to look at that. “But having said all that … with a really good block to make it as strong as possible and get back to bowling as well as he can, he’s got a great opportunity for that and it’s tracking well at the moment.” Lyon’s return will be a big boost for Australia as they begin a crucial phase of Test cricket starting with the two-match home series against Bangladesh.