Nathan Lyon’s remarkable run of fitness finally snapped on the last morning in Adelaide. The 38-year-old off-spinner felt a sharp twinge in his right hamstring after a diving stop at fine leg, signalled straight to the balcony and hobbled off with Marnus Labuschagne offering a consoling pat on the back.
Cricket Australia later confirmed: “Nathan felt pain in his right hamstring and will take no further part in this Test. He’ll have scans this afternoon.” The wording was as brief as the news was grim. Lyon headed for the exits before lunch, leaving Pat Cummins one bowler short for the closing exchanges of the third Ashes Test.
Immediate impact
Lyon had already prised out five English batters in the match, three of them in the second innings, tilting a see-saw contest Australia’s way. His removal from the attack forced Cummins to lean heavily on his quicks under a hot Adelaide sun and raised familiar memories of Lord’s 2023, when a torn calf wiped Lyon from that series.
Medium-term ripple
With the Melbourne Test only five days away, selectors have a straight-forward medical question and a far trickier cricketing one. If Lyon is gone, who plays as the sole frontline spinner?
Matthew Kuhnemann remains the only slow-bowler on the central contract list. The left-arm orthodox impressed on turning pitches in India and the Caribbean but has managed only two Sheffield Shield appearances this season – four wickets at 36 – thanks to white-ball duties and a niggle of his own. Recent history suggests finger-spin from the left side is a tough sell on Australian decks.
Todd Murphy, another off-spinner, deputised admirably in England last year and has been tidy for Victoria. His Shield record at the MCG – ten wickets at 23.70 – is handy, although the big ground’s seamers usually hog the workload. Murphy also turned out for Australia A against the England Lions in Brisbane, taking three wickets and, by all accounts, bowling “beautifully”, to borrow Andrew McDonald’s assessment from that fixture.
Corey Rocchiccioli would be the wild-card. Taller than both Kuhnemann and Murphy, he hits that awkward splice-to-shoulder length at the WACA and tops the domestic charts this summer with 20 first-class wickets at 28. The selectors have talked up his bounce for a while; the question is whether they would debut him in the middle of an Ashes.
Expert view
Former skipper Ian Chappell told ABC Sport, “You need a spinner at the ‘G unless it’s a green carpet, and off-spin generally gives you a bit more control late in the game.” That opinion will ring in George Bailey’s ears when the panel meets.
All-seam again?
Australia rolled the dice with four quicks at the Gabba second Test but rarely do so on Boxing Day. Even if the MCG grass is generous early on, the drop-in pitch can flatten and slow, demanding variation. Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are locked in; Scott Boland, the local workhorse, hovers as the fourth seamer. Slotting five fast bowlers plus Cameron Green feels crowded.
Lyon’s resilience, revisited
Until Lord’s last year Lyon had played 100 consecutive Tests, a stretch of durability unmatched by any modern spinner. He recovered quickly from that calf, but hamstrings at 38 are delicate territory. Should scans confirm a tear, the rest of the series – and perhaps the home Tests against West Indies – would be in jeopardy.
For now, Australia must finish the job in Adelaide a bowler light, then cross fingers the scans deliver good news. If they don’t, Boxing Day could introduce a new name to the Ashes, and Lyon may once again be forced to watch from the sidelines.
