Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon has recently spoken about his exclusion from the Playing XI for the third and final Test against the West Indies, which took place earlier this month.
Lyon was left out of Australia’s Test XI for the first time in over a decade, due to factors other than injury, as he missed the pink-ball Test against the West Indies at Sabina Park.
The decision ended a remarkable run for Lyon, who had been a fixture in Australia’s Test side since 2013. With conditions expected to overwhelmingly favour pace, selectors opted for an all-seam attack, leaving no room for spin.
Speaking publicly for the first time since that match, Lyon admitted the decision stung, especially because it meant missing a special milestone alongside a close mate.
“There’s no point hiding behind it. I was disappointed with the decision, but I totally understood it,” Lyon said in Melbourne on Tuesday.
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“I believe I can play a role in any conditions, and I still honestly believe that. And then honestly, the other one was not to walk out on the field with Starcy [Mitchell Starc] in his 100th Test.”
Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc have shared the field in nearly 90 Tests, and the 37-year-old was hoping to mark the milestone together.
Despite the personal disappointment, Lyon acknowledged the bold call had paid off.
“If I’m going to miss a game, Scott Boland’s probably the guy you want to see go out and perform,” he said.
“For him to go out there and bowl like he did, like we always know he does, to take a hat-trick, was pretty special. And to witness the guys bowl them out for 27, that was pretty amazing.”
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