Veteran Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has confirmed he is 100 per cent fit ahead of the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Nathan Lyon has revealed that he has been dealing with hip pain due to a minor injury, but he is confident that he is fit to play and the issue is not affecting his bowling.
Steve Smith has been named interim captain of the Australian team in the absence of Pat Cummins, who is on paternity leave. Australia have announced a 16-man squad that includes Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann. The spinners are expected to play a crucial role in the rotation of the pitches.
It’s pretty painful when you fall on your hip – Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon made a limited impact with the ball against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, where the home team secured a 3-1 series win. The veteran spinner bowled 122.4 overs in five Test matches in the recent series, his lowest total in a four- or five-Test series and his lowest in a summer at home.
Lyon revealed that the hip problem started during the first Test against India. Lyon said that the small bursa in his hip was aggravated, which caused pain, especially when he went down. He said that although the injury was quite painful, it did not affect his bowling ability.
“It’s hard to explain; I’m not very good with medical terms. It’s like a small bursa (fluid sac) in my hip. I aggravated it and it was painful. It doesn’t stop me from bowling, but it’s very painful when the hip goes down,” Lyon was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.
Because of pitches favoring fast bowlers, Australia relied less on Lyon. He took nine wickets at an average of 36.88 during the India series. However, this lighter workload could benefit him ahead of the two-match Test series in Sri Lanka. Lyon is expected to play a central role in the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.
I try to avoid contact – Nathan Lyon
After the scan and treatment, Lyon resumed his fitness routine, including jogging and gym sessions. He said that he will be 100 percent ready and assured that his condition has improved. Lyon added that he is avoiding contact during his recovery and is optimistic.
“Everything is going well, it is getting better. “I will be 100 percent fit,” Lyon assured. Everything is going well, he is recovering. I did jogging and gym (Friday). I’m working I’ll be 100 percent fit.”
I doubt we’ll play five spinners – Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon, who has experience playing in Sri Lankan conditions, scored 87 overs in the 2016 Test in Colombo. While spin-friendly pitches are often expected, Lyon are expecting “good cricket wickets”, recalling Dinesh Chandimal’s score in the second Test of 2022. two centuries old.
“I initially thought it would be spin-friendly but I think it will be like the second Test in 2022 where Dinesh Chandimal scored 206. It will be a tough task but I doubt we will play five spinners,” he said. .
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