James Anderson and Nathan Lyon throw first pitches at MLB London
James Anderson and Nathan Lyon join forces as they throw first ceremonial pitches at MLB London ahead of second Ashes Test at Lord’s
- The two stars wore the kits of St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs on Saturday
- The sides are facing off at the London Stadium in a two-match series
- Anderson and Lyon are both likely to feature in the second Ashes Test next week
England and Australia’s cricket teams joined forces on Saturday as two of their star players threw the ceremonial first pitches of MLB London.
James Anderson and Nathan Lyon shook hands before throwing down at the London Stadium before St. Louis Cardinals versus Chicago Cubs.
The event came just days after the dramatic conclusion of the first Ashes Test which saw Australia win by two wickets after an intense ninth-wicket partnership between Lyon and captain Pat Cummins.
Lyon came to the crease with England needing just two wickets to win but put on an unbeaten 44 with Cummins as the visitors took a 1-0 lead in one of the most highly-anticipated Ashes series ever.
On Saturday, however, the two players put their differences to one side as they simultaneously threw the first pitches in full kit to get the event underway.
England’s James Anderson (left) and Australia’s Nathan Lyon (right) threw the first ceremonial pitches ahead of the first day of MLB London
The event comes just days after Lyon played a major role in in Australia’s first Ashes Test win
Anderson, meanwhile, struggled for England, picking up just one wicket across his two bowling innings
Video footage shows the two players shaking hands after Lyon is introduced to the crowd to a series of boos.
The Australian seems more enthusiastic to engage than Anderson, who is known for keeping himself to himself and often being rather grumpy. He is currently playing in his tenth Ashes series at the age of 40.
Lyon is seen in the kit of the Cardinals, while Anderson dons the colours of the Cubs, and does manage a smile as his rival arrives.
They then throw the pitches to a round of applause as they greeted their respective catchers, Anderson with Patrick Wisdom and Lyon with Andrew Knizner.
The players shook hands with their catchers after the throws, with Anderson meeting Patrick Wisdom of the Chicago Cubs
Lyon met for a brief chat with Andrew Knizner of St. Louis Cardinals at the London Stadium
Between them, Anderson and Lyon have 1,182 Test wickets and are both the leading wicket takers in their sides, with Anderson leading the way in history for England with 686.
He took figures of 1-109 on a difficult pitch for fast bowlers at Edgbaston in the first Test, while Lyon returned eight wickets for 229 runs.
Lyon’s throw was wider than Anderson’s, something the Australian pointed out after the balls were thrown in the capital.
He’ll be looking for a bit better accuracy when the second Test kicks off at Lord’s on Wednesday.
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