Nathan Lyon Discusses Exclusion from Second Ashes Test Against England

In a recent interview, Nathan Lyon expressed his feelings about being left out of the second Test in the Ashes series against England. He revealed that he learned of his exclusion shortly before the match and discussed the implications of this decision on his role within the team. Lyon also commented on the selection strategy employed by the Australian management, particularly regarding the pace attack. Meanwhile, Joe Root's impressive performance helped England surpass 300 runs in their first innings. Read on to discover more about Lyon's thoughts and the match's developments.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 5, 2025, 02:15 IST

Nathan Lyon's Omission from the Ashes Test

Brisbane [Australia], December 4: Veteran Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has shared his thoughts regarding his exclusion from the second Test of the five-match Ashes series against England, which took place in Brisbane on Thursday. He also addressed whether he had any discussions with the Australian management about this decision.

In a surprising move, Australia opted to leave Lyon out of the lineup, choosing instead to field an all-pace attack for the second Test.

The team made two adjustments from the squad that secured an eight-wicket victory in the Ashes opener held in Perth. Michael Neser was brought in to replace Lyon, while Josh Inglis stepped in for the injured opener Usman Khawaja.

During Day 1 of the Brisbane Test, Lyon mentioned that he learned about his omission shortly after arriving at the ground. "I found out as I came to ground, as I always do, pretty early, about 12 o'clock, and found out about 12:30," Lyon stated in an interview with 7Cricket.

George Bailey, who chairs the National Selection Panel for the Australian men's cricket team, indicated that the pace of recent Test matches has hindered Lyon's effectiveness on pitches that favor seam bowlers.

In response to Bailey's remarks, Lyon noted that he hasn't had a detailed conversation with the Australian think tank. He expressed that he is taking time to process the situation. "No, yeah, absolutely filthy, but, yeah, can't do anything about it. So, yeah, just hope I can play my role in making sure I can get the guys ready and do whatever I can to make sure that we get the right result here," Lyon explained.

He further added, "To be honest, I haven't really sat down with Ronnie or George yet. I'm letting things settle down in my own head, and trying to make sure that, as I said, doing whatever I can to make sure the guys out in the middle there, representing Australia, do the right thing and get the right result for us."

In match developments, Joe Root achieved his first Test century on Australian soil, marking his 40th overall in the longest format. His performance helped England surpass the 300-run milestone in their first innings.

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.

Australia (Playing XI): Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith(c), Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey(w), Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett.