A defiant Nathan Lyon has phoned Australian selectors to insist he can still play every Test as he nears recovery from his “pretty traumatic” hamstring injury. Lyon has been sidelined since tearing his hamstring off the bone in the third Ashes Test in December, but is on track to be fit for the home series against Bangladesh in August.
Recovery progress
Australia’s greatest finger-spinner is currently in the gym at least five days a week, has ridden about 700km since taking up road cycling in his recovery, and is almost back to running at full intensity. Lyon bowled at Cricket Central in Sydney on Monday morning and plans to do so on turf wickets against batters in the coming weeks.
“It’s been quite a long process from the Adelaide Test. We’re probably two-thirds through it now ... it’s a pretty traumatic injury,” said Cricket Australia physical performance coach Ross Herridge. “We’ve got markers through this process, physical markers, that we check along the way. So far he’s hit all of them.”
But even as the 141-Test veteran nears recovery, chief selector George Bailey has publicly contemplated whether he could still be relied upon to play every Test match. Australia coach Andrew McDonald last month stopped short of guaranteeing Lyon selection against Bangladesh if available. Those comments were noticed by Lyon, who memorably told media he was “absolutely filthy” with his omission from the XI for last summer’s second Ashes Test.
Lyon’s response
The way Lyon sees it, he would not have gone to all this effort to recover if not to play every match, as Australia prepare for up to 21 Tests in 12 months from August. “I saw George’s comments, he’s had a phone call. I’ve seen Andrew’s comments, he’s had a phone call,” Lyon said. “I wouldn’t be doing all this work right now if I didn’t want to play every Test match. No one has a given right to be selected for Australia, so I know I need to make sure I’m performing, doing all the right things, but I’m, head and heart, set on playing every Test match I’m available for.”
Lyon never contemplated retirement during his extensive recovery period, and found an unlikely source of inspiration last month. Canberra Raiders fan Lyon sat in the stands as NSW defied the odds to rally from 20-0 down and win the first State of Origin match in Sydney. He turned to his wife sitting beside him to say that he too was more motivated than ever to pursue an unlikely comeback story.
“Seeing those guys being able to write a fairytale script for so many people in the crowd, and for a professional athlete, to have that ability to do that, that’s really driving me at the moment,” Lyon said. “I was sitting there with my wife and I literally said to Em, ‘I’m not ready to give up this, I’m missing this right now’.”
