In a momentous decision, Nathan Lyon has been omitted from the Australia squad. It will be the first home Test match he misses since 2012. It now represents a significant turning point in his Test career, having played 71 home Tests in successive appearances. Lyon would not have missed a home Test since January 2012. That game happened to be against India, on the WACA Ground.
Lyon’s exclusion comes amidst a backdrop of his impressive record, as he stands as Australia’s third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history. Only Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, both legends of the game, have taken more wickets overall. Lyon is on the cusp of making history himself, needing just two more wickets to surpass McGrath’s tally of 562 and secure second place on Australia’s all-time list.
In spite of his stellar career, Lyon was on the record against the decision to omit him from the Australia XI. George Bailey acknowledged this, stating, “Nathan will disagree with the decision, and that’s perfectly OK.” He further emphasized that players often feel they can impact the game, adding, “There’s no qualms about players feeling like they can impact the game and the fact of the matter is he could have.”
This is the second instance in the last three Tests that Lyon has been left out of the playing XI. He was omitted for Australia’s day-night Test against the West Indies back in July. The move comes after a particularly disappointing 176-run defeat to the West Indies in Jamaica, in which Lyon was surprisingly omitted.
Captain Pat Cummins, who has been out with a major lower back injury, is still missing, but he is said to be very close to a return. “Pat was close. He’s done everything right. We thought it might have been a little bit risky for this game but he’s tracking well for the next one,” said Steve Smith.
With Lyon out, wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, already in the Australia squad as replacement for injured Usman Khawaja, has replaced him. Travis Head survives as an opening partner, and Inglis will almost certainly be picked to bat at seven. To add to the novelty, it was the third Test appearance for Michael Neser—his previous two outings coming in pink-ball Tests.
Prior to Tuesday’s match, England released their confirmed XI. Will Jacks replaces injured pace-ace Mark Wood. In addition to distributing badger hides, Smith reflected on the increasingly exceptional match conditions. He continued, “We feel that at sunset, with the pink ball, it is going to provide a lot especially later on under the lights. We’re a night playing team, so we felt like that was the right way to go and try to take 20 wickets in this game.
The choice to omit Lyon has already prompted outrage among expert observers and the cricket community. Alex Hartley expressed her surprise, pointing out Lyon’s strong record at the Gabba and how quickly the ball tends to soften, stating, “I’m really surprised Australia left Lyon out given his record at the Gabba and how this ball gets soft quickly.”
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