“Filthy” was was only way to describe Nathan Lyon after he was told he wouldn’t be playing at the Gabba the morning of the Brisbane Ashes Test, both as he sat on the sideline, and when he was interviewed mid-match.
“Absolutely filthy,” he said on Channel 7. “But yeah, can’t do anything about it. So, yeah, hope I can play my role in making sure I get the guys ready and do whatever I can to make sure that we get the right result here.”
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“To be honest, I haven’t really sat down with Ronnie [Andrew McDonald] or George yet,” the benched spinner said at the time.
“I’m letting things settle down in my own head and trying to make sure that I’m, as I said, doing whatever I can to make sure the guys out in the middle representing Australia do the right thing and get the right result for us.”
“The communication is always there, I just hadn’t had it in me to sit down with the coach and George at the moment,” he added. “So that will happen. I’m not the first player to miss a Test match, and I won’t be the last. But, yeah, obviously pretty gutted because I know the role that I can play within Australian cricket and especially a venue like this.”
No damage done, though, with Cricket Australia boss Todd Greenberg saying he liked the honesty.
“Nathan was just speaking yesterday, exactly how he felt,” the CA chief said.
“If someone puts a camera in front of him only hours after he’s been told he’s missed a Test match, of course he’ll be disappointed. I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t that disappointed because it means that much to them.
“It’s Test match cricket, it’s hard to get in.”
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No hard feelings from the selectors, either: The Sporting Base understands selector chairman George Bailey has already told Lyon he’ll be back in for the third Test in Adelaide as Australia chases a victorious 3-0 lead. It most likely means Michael Neser will make way, even though he’s fresh off a five-wicket masterclass on his home turf over the weekend.
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Other changes in the squad will include Pat Cummins back into the pace attack, replacing Brendan Doggett. The openers may shuffle, too, should Usman Khawaja return. Josh Inglis would lose his spot there, with Travis Head back to six.
With Cummins coming back, it’s also expected that he’ll take the captaincy back from Steve Smith.
