Others would laugh if you told them the man pushing the lawnmower at Manuka Oval would eventually stand alongside Brad Haddin and Michael Bevan as the capital's best export.

But Nathan Lyon's 50th Test for Australia, starting in Hobart on Thursday, is another step in a remarkable journey from unknown curator to champion finger-spinner.

"And he's going to get even better. The thing is, Nathan Lyon could play for another 10 years if he wanted to," said Australian great Ian Healy.

"Let's say at least another five years. He's fit an durable, he's the sort of teammate we want around as we reshape this Australian side. He'll be right as the Test best from Canberra."

Lyon has outgrown the tag of being the right man in the right place when he stepped up to fill the void left by Shane Warne.

He's much more than the curator who was plucked from the practice nets to wear the baggy green, and he's got the statistics to prove it.

Lyon has claimed 172 wickets in 49 Tests, elevating him to records most thought were impossible when a young kid started playing for Wests-UC in Canberra's first-grade competition.

Since then he's forged a career as a reliable and honest bowler in Australia's attack, and here's a snapshot:

- He has taken 172 wickets since making his debut against Sri Lanka in 2011 - the most of any other Australian bowler in that period.

- He is fifth on Australia's all-time leading wicket takers for spinners, sitting behind Warne, Richie Benaud, Clarrie Grimmett and Stuart MacGill.

- Is the most successful Australian finger-spinner in Test history and the only off-spinner to play 50 Tests.

The journey started when he moved from Young to Canberra to develop through Cricket ACT's pathways and the Comets' program.

He was an apprentice greenskeeper at Manuka Oval before he took an opportunity at the Adelaide Oval and broke into the South Australian ranks.

Former housemate and Wests-UC teammate Darren Richards still remembers a superstitious Lyon refusing to pull into the driveway if his odometer ended with either a 13 or 87.

"But the thing was he always had a drive, and a cheekiness that made him endearing to those around him," Richards said.

"If you asked me then if he was going to play first-class cricket I would have said probably not. Back then he wasn't the greatest bowler. But he has always been disciplined and worked hard at it.

"The one thing he could do was always land the ball wherever he wanted, even when he was 17 or 18 when he came to Canberra. When he got his opportunity he took it with both hands.

"The thing people never saw was that he was out the door at 7am to roll a pitch and mark the lines, play first grade for seven or eight hours and be at the club to see how every other grade went. He cares about the next bloke as much as he does about himself."

Bevan was Canberra's first big-name export, starring as a one-day expert in 232 games for Australia, was a World Cup winner and played 18 Tests.

Then came wicketkeeper Haddin, who played 66 Tests and 126 one-day internationals before he retired earlier this year.

Lyon, 28, will play his 50th Test against the West Indies in Hobart on Thursday, has played eight one-day internationals and has cemented his place as Australia's No.1 spinner.

So when Lyon finishes his career in the future, most likely eclipsing Haddin's Test tally, will he be Canberra's best ever?

"He'll be right up there, if not on the top. He's less one-dimensional than he was and you want to see players develop," Healy said.

"He's been working extremely hard and he's starting to achieve a lot more ... he's our most successful orthodox spinner. He's definitely demonstrated he deserved his chance. He's been safe and done a job.

"He's been Australia's go-to man and that's a massive role in Test cricket."

Lyon captained the ACT under-19s side almost a decade ago, and former teammates Ryan Carters and Jason Behrendorff are pushing their cases to join him.

"The thing Nathan did was show that the pathway is there if you put in the hard work," Richards said.

"People didn't realise how driven he was. I know he'll look back when he retires and say 'what a ride'."