New Delhi, May 20 Despite injuring his calf while fielding during last year’s second Ashes Test at Lord’s, veteran Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s suggestion to bat in his side’s second innings was not welcomed by skipper Pat Cummins and rest of the team.
An episode in the upcoming season three of 'The Test' documentary, to be aired on Prime Video on May 24, reveals the aftermath of Lyon, playing his 100th consecutive Test match, breaking down in the dressing room after suffering a series-ending calf injury while fielding, though Australia eventually won the match to take a 2-0 lead.
"I’ve blown my calf to bits. I knew straight away. I was gutted. I was devastated. You’re thinking the worst. Is your career done? But more importantly, you’re thinking you’ve let your teammates down.
"I set a bar so high for me personally to play a massive role in this side, in this series. I want to be the best in the world … and I feel like I could have made a difference so I that’s where the emotion comes from," said Lyon in the documentary.
Cummins was initially hopeful Lyon could play in the rest of the series. “He’s had cramp a couple of times before, so my first thought was I hope it’s just cramp," Cummins said. Veteran opener Usman Khawaja added, “A part of me straight away was like, ‘Oh boy, this makes winning the Ashes a whole lot harder.”
The day after he injured his calf, Lyon said to his wife Emma that he would try batting for Australia in the second innings, a suggestion she was against of. "The morning of Day 4, I said to Em, ‘Just so you know, I’m going to bat’. She looks at me, she goes, ‘You’re an idiot’.
"I said, ‘What you do you mean? I'm going to bat. She goes, ‘You can’t even get in the shower’." Even Cummins had the same view. “I said no you shouldn’t bat. He’s like, ‘We’re going to have a look at it’. I was like, ‘No’."
Lyon ended putting a stand of 15 runs with Mitchell Starc and made four off 13 balls, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. “What is going on here? This peanut’s walking out to bat. Not walking, he’s hobbling out, using his bat as a crutch," said Starc.
Cummins added, "I couldn't watch and I’ve never had that before. He’s so injured, to see him be vulnerable out there, it’s hard to watch. Ronny (head coach Andrew McDonald) was the same, we were like this is not good.”
He would end by saying, "Gaz well done mate that was courageous, all of us were a bit worried but you ran out there before we could catch you."
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