Nathan Lyon will not bowl for remainder of the Second Ashes Test and is a doubt for the rest of the series in a major blow to Australia’s hopes of retaining the Urn and a huge boost for England.
The spinner was forced off after suffering a "significant calf injury” in the field on day two at Lord’s on Thursday and had to be helped around the boundary edge by Australian medical staff in an incident that immediately evoked memories of Edgbaston 2005, when fast-bowler Glenn McGrath missed the crucial Second Test after rolling his ankle after stepping on a cricket ball ahead of the first day’s play.
Lyon arrived at Lord’s on crutches on Friday morning and while Australia say he could yet bat if absolutely required, the likelihood he will play no further part across the final three days of what, ironically, had been his 100th consecutive Test match.
A Cricket Australia statement confirmed Lyon would “require a period of rehabilitation after this match is concluded” with a decision over his availability for the rest of the series to be delayed until after the game.
There is scheduled to be just a three-day gap before next week’s Third Test at Headingley, where, barring a miraculous recovery, 22-year-old Todd Murphy will be in line for an Ashes debut.
Australia’s mood was lifted by just the second ball of the morning, however, as Mitchell Starc struck to remove England captain Ben Stokes with the help of a stunning catch from Cameron Green at slip.
Harry Brook added five to his overnight score of 45, reaching his first Ashes half-century, but then became the latest England batter to fall for Australia’s short-ball plan as he pulled Starc straight to Pat Cummins to leave the hosts 293 for 6, still 123 runs behind.
Lyon has been an integral part of Australia’s success over the past decade, taking more Test wickets than any other bowler in world cricket since last being recalled to the side during the 2013 Ashes series. The 35-year-old claimed a four-fer in each innings of Australia’s narrow win in the series opener at Edgbaston, as well as playing a vital hand alongside Cummins in the chase.
Despite England’s loss of wickets on Friday morning, Lyon’s absence has significantly changed the complexion of the ongoing contest. Having won the toss on day one and elected to bowl, England are due to bat last and Australia will have been counting on Lyon’s spin to take wickets in the fourth innings on a pitch offering increasingly little assistance to the seamers. Cummins does at least have several part-time spin options to turn to, with Travis Head the most likely to supplement the three frontline seamers and all-rounder Cameron Green, while Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne may also chip in.
Beyond this week, the burden is expected to fall on Murphy, who is extremely highly-rated in Australia, having made his Test bow on the tour of India earlier this year, taking 14 wickets across four matches at an average of 25, including seven-for-124 on debut in Nagpur. He has not, however, played any first-class cricket since the Sheffield Shield final in March and lacks experience in England, having been pulled out of a planned County Championship stint at Durham in a bid to manage his workload.
