Nathan Lyon 'absolutely filthy' after being dropped for second Ashes Test as Matthew Hayden says 'spin can win' at Gabba
Published 04/12/2025 at 14:01 GMT
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Australia made a surprising decision for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane as they left spinner Nathan Lyon out of the XI. Lyon said he was "extremely disappointed" by the decision as the hosts opted for an all-seam attack for the day-night Test. Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden was also critical of the decision, insisting "spin can win" at the Gabba and saying Lyon should have been picked.
'Spin can win' - Hayden insists Lyon 'should have been picked'
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Nathan Lyon described himself as "absolutely filthy" after finding out he was surprisingly dropped from Australia’s team for the second NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes Test against England.
Much of the pre-match talk around Australia’s team selection in Brisbane was whether Pat Cummins would feature after missing the first Test with injury.
When Australia named their XI on the day of the second Test he remained sidelined, but there was a shock as spinner Lyon was left out for the first time in a home Test since 2012.
Lyon was told of the decision shortly after arriving at the ground by stand-in captain Steven Smith, head coach Andrew McDonald and chief selector George Bailey.
"Absolutely filthy," was how Lyon summed up his reaction to the news on Channel 7. "But yeah, can't do anything about it. 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.
"To be honest I haven't really sat down with Ronnie [Andrew McDonald] or George yet. 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."
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Lyon was also left out of a day-night match earlier this year against the West Indies, but that was called a "one-off" by Tony Dodemaide, the selector on the tour.
Lyon is Australia's third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, behind only Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
"The communication is always there, I just hadn't had it in me to sit down with the coach and George at the moment," added Lyon.
"So that will happen. I'm not the first player to miss a Test match and I won't be the last. But obviously pretty gutted because I know the role that I can play within Australian cricket and especially a venue like this.
"Extremely disappointed but I'll do whatever to make sure these guys (the Australian team) are right."
Hayden 'disappointed' by Lyon decision
Former Australia great Matthew Hayden said he was "disappointed" by the decision to drop Lyon and thinks the spinner "should have been picked".
England finished the first day on 325-9 with Joe Root scoring an elusive first century in Australia.
Mitchell Starc starred for Australia with six wickets and is the only bowler with more day-night wickets (87) than Lyon (43).
"When you think in the context of this game, if England get around 350 and Australia get near or a bit behind, the spinner in the third and fourth innings of a Test match... spin can win here," said Hayden on TNT Sports.
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"We were very disappointed, it was a painful interview to hear Nathan Lyon talking around his disappointment because he was on a hiding to nothing. He said everything right, but the one thing we will say is he should have been picked."
Lyon’s omission saw Australia opt for an all-seam attack and manage to bowl just 74 overs on the first day, well short of the allotted 90.
"If we don’t bowl them out under 80 overs then this side will cop a penalty [for slow over rate] and that means Steve Smith will be under pressure," added Hayden.
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Watch highlights: Root ton and Starc six-for light up Day 1 of second Test
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"You need a quality spinner to win here. We have seen so many times, Shane Warne was one of the great bowlers in these conditions, alright he was great everywhere, but you don’t suspect he would be such an elite bowler here with the bounce of the track, but he loved it and Nathan Lyon has a terrific record here."
Australia chief selector Bailey said Lyon will be back in the team for the third Test in Adelaide.
"Very much it's a one-Test decision. Nath will play in Adelaide," Bailey confirmed. "It's just how you think you're going to structure up the resources and how it's going to be used when it gets dark, when you think you're going to be using seam bowlers, how many bowlers get used in a day, when you think the new ball is going to be available, that sort of stuff."
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