New Delhi, Dec 4 Australia’s veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon has revealed he was feeling "absolutely filthy" at being told he wouldn't be playing in the second Test. Lyon revealed that he arrived at the ground at 12 pm (local time), only to be informed 30 minutes later that he would not be playing.
In a bold selection call, Australia made two changes to the side that won in Perth, with Michael Neser replacing Lyon and Josh Inglis replacing the injured opener Usman Khawaja. Neser joins Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, and Brendan Doggett, as well as all-rounder Cameron Green, as Australia opt for an all-out pace attack for the Gabba Test.
However, selection chief George Bailey earlier clarified it was “very much a one-Test decision” to leave out Lyon, guaranteeing the off-spinner’s selection for the third match against England in Adelaide.
Bailey also said, “Nathan will disagree with the decision, and that’s perfectly okay. I think he disagreed with the decision in Jamaica, and that’s perfectly okay.
Asked about his conversation with chief selector George Bailey, Lyon told Channel 7 it was “short”. He continued, "Absolutely filthy, but yeah, can’t do anything about it. Hope I can play my role in making sure I get the guys ready and do whatever I can to make sure that we get the right result here."
Asked about what would have been the reason behind his omission, Lyon added, “To be honest, I hadn’t really sat down with Ronnie or George yet. I’m letting things settle down in my own head and trying to make sure that I’m, as I said, doing whatever I can to make sure the guys out in the middle representing Australia do the right thing and get the right result for us.
Lyon, who was also left out of Australia's previous day-night Test against the West Indies in July, has a strong record at the Gabba, taking 52 wickets at a tick under 29, and has 43 wickets at 25.63 with the pink ball.
“It’s no secret it’s a place where I absolutely love playing cricket, and I feel like I’ve got a decent record here, get a lot of bounce there. I felt like the wicket was going to offer a bit of bounce for myself, but I’d like to see what Jacks does," said Lyon.
He also said he hasn’t watched much of the action on Thursday. “Yeah, I’m not a great watcher, if I’m being honest. I don’t know how many balls I’ve watched."
The spinner added that communication is always there and "will speak to the coaching staff when he’s ready."
Lyon was left out of an Australia side for the first time in a home Test since 2012, while the hosts were also still without captain Pat Cummins for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.
“I’m not the first player to miss a Test match, and I won’t be the last. But yeah, obviously pretty gutted because I know the role that I can play within Australian cricket, and especially a venue like this. Extremely disappointed, but I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure these guys are up," he concluded.
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