Australian veteran Nathan Lyon has confirmed he is 100 per cent fit ahead of the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Nathan Lyon mentioned that he has been suffering from hip pain due to a minor injury but assured that he is fit to play and the problem 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 announced a 16-man squad including Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann. The spinners are expected to play a crucial role in turning the pitches around.
When I land on my hip, it hurts quite a bit – Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon made a limited impact with the ball in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against India, 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, the lowest in a four- or five-Test series and the fewest in a home summer.
Lyon revealed that his hip problem started during the first Test against India. Lyon said he aggravated a small bursa in his hip that caused him pain, especially when he landed on it. He stated that the injury has not affected his ability to bowl despite it being quite painful.
“It's hard to explain; I'm not very good with medical terms. It's like a small bursa (bag of fluid) in my hip. I aggravated it and it was painful. It doesn't stop me bowling, but when I land on my hip, it's quite painful,” Lyon said, as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald.
Australia relied less on Lyon due to the pitches favoring the fast bowlers. 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 scans and treatment, Lyon resumed his fitness routine, including running and gym sessions. He assured that his condition is improving, stating that he will be 100 percent fit. Lyon added that he avoided contact during his recovery and remains optimistic.
“Everything is going well, it's on the mend. I'll be 100 percent fit,” Lyon assured. “I had a scan after the test and a jab. Everything is going well, it's getting better. I did a run and a gym session (Friday). I'm trying to avoid contact , I will be 100% fit.”
I doubt we'll play Five Spinners – Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon, who has experience playing in Sri Lankan conditions, bowled 87 overs in a Test in Colombo in 2016. While spin-friendly pitches are often expected, Lyon anticipates “good wickets of cricket” , recalling the second Test of 2022 in which Dinesh Chandimal scored a double century.
“Initially I thought it would be spin-friendly but I think it will be similar to the second Test in 2022 when Dinesh Chandimal made 206. It will be hard work but I doubt we will play five spinners,” he added. .
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