Nathan Lyon Injured Before AUS Vs BAN Tests; Update Issued

Nathan Lyon for Australia [Source: X]

Australia have been hit by a setback ahead of the Test series against Bangladesh, starting on August 13. Nathan Lyon, the star senior spinner of the Kangaroos, might miss the first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin.

Injured since December during the third Ashes Test, his replacements, two other talented spinners, are ready to join the squad. As per recent reports, Nathan Lyon still has fitness tests to pass before he gets a green light from Cricket Australia ahead of the Bangladesh visit.

Nathan Lyon Optimistic To Play Bangladesh Test After Ashes Rule Out

Currently, Lyon is racing against the clock to be ready as he recovers from a serious hamstring injury ahead of the opening Test. Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann are on track to replace him if things go south. 

In his last appearance in the Ashes, he managed five wickets from eight while bowling at an economy rate of 2.85. 

However, his hard work in recovering should not go all in vain, as he is determined to make a comeback with his hamstring injury recovering positively.

“It’s been a lot of hard work; there’s no point in hiding behind that, a lot of long days and stuff, but that’s all been part of it. I’m not ready to give up this,” Lyon told CODE Sports.

Australia Coach Shares Update On Nathan Lyon’s Injury

As per coach Andrew McDonald, Lyon is recovering well but has more work to do to get the higher-level running required. As per CODE Sports, McDonald shared that Nathan is positive, but he is not totally fit yet. 

“The information on Nathan’s positive at this stage, he’s still got a little bit to go, sort of at the back end of the preparation for that Test series. He seemed relatively optimistic that he’d be available,” McDonald said.

“So, we’ve got those camps coming up in July, so we’ll see him in front of us there. So at this stage, there is no news to say that he won’t be available, but he’s got a little bit to go to get up to the high speed running, to the demands of Test cricket, so we’ll just wait and see whether he can tick that off. I don’t think skill’s going to be the question with Nathan.

“I think it’s more going to be around where his body’s at and is he capable of being ready for that first Test match, and if he’s not, then there’s a lot of Test matches after that as well. So it would mean that the medical team’s made a decision that they’re respecting the surgery, and there’s a lot of Test matches after that,” McDonald added.

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Who Is Likely To Replace Lyon if he misses Bangladesh Tests?

If Nathan Lyon is ruled out, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann could make their home Test debut. Matthew Kuhnemann bagged 25 wickets in five Tests at an average of 22.20, while off-spinner Todd Murphy has 22 wickets from seven Tests at an average of 28.13.

Amidst that, Todd seems to be the front-runner after he was selected in the squad for the final two Ashes Tests and will be preparing with the training group ahead of the Bangladesh series. 

“Todd will be part of that (training) group, so will Matthew Kuhnemann, so he’ll be up there as well in preparation for that,” McDonald said.

Australia Set To Manage Hectic WTC Cycle For Bowlers

Meanwhile, Australia's Test series against Bangladesh will be the beginning of a 12-month hectic schedule for the mainstream team. They will be playing at least 20 Tests over the next year in the WTC cycle, including away tours to South Africa, India, and England.

Cricket Australia now faces the challenge of managing the high workload of the bowlers. Nevertheless, Lyon's inclusion might be a game-changer for the Australian senior team, with his experience set to play a huge role in the Test match.

Nathan Lyon has managed to scalp 22 wickets from the four Test innings he has played against Bangladesh, while boasting best figures of 7/94 and an average of 14.31 against the Bengal Tigers.

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