The Australian bowling lineup would not be complete without Nathan Lyon. The unlucky calf injury he sustained while fielding in the first innings of the second Test at Lord’s led some cricket fans to believe that he would not participate in the Ashes again. But when Australia’s off-spinner hobbled out to bat at No. 11 in the second innings, he stunned the entire world.
With the bat, he added 15 runs to Mitchell Starc’s four runs in 13 balls.Despite being informed that he will miss the remaining games, Lyon’s decision to bat despite such a serious injury drew tremendous accolades.But the 35-year-old reportedly claimed that when he first told his wife and captain Pat Cummins about his plan to bat, they both slammed it. Lyon’s choice to bat despite being injured was encouraged by head coach Andrew McDonald.
“Em (Lyon’s wife, Emma) was there with me when I said that morning, “Just so you know, I’m going to bat if required. She looked at me and said, “You are an utter idiot – I’m helping you in the shower and everything like that, you’re an idiot. “I went to the field, spoke to the medical staff in the morning, and they told me, ‘nah, you’re not batting.’ So I went to Pat (Cummins), and Pat told me, ‘you’re not batting, Gaz, get it out of your head.'” Lyon stated on the Willows Talk podcast.
“I went to Ron (McDonald) and told him, “I am batting,” and he responded, “Good, I’m thinking the same thing. In response to my request for him to speak with the medical team, Andrew McDonald responded, “Yep.” As a result, he proceeded to speak with the medical team. I was aware of the dangers and couldn’t do any more damage,” he added.
I knew I was out for the next 10-12 weeks: Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon acknowledged that he suffered a significant calf rupture and would not be able to play in the upcoming Ashes games. If the injury was serious, he said he wouldn’t have entered the game since it might have jeopardized his ability to continue playing in the series.
If it had been a slight rip, he says, “I probably wouldn’t have gone out to bat understanding we had a decent break and may have missed the third Test and be right for the fourth and fifth Tests.”
Lyon said, “But I knew I was out for the next 10 to 12 weeks, so I took a couple baseball pills, got strapped from my knee down, couldn’t move my foot at all, and hobbled out, stood in the Long Room, and waited to bat.
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