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'Absolutely Filthy': 'Gutted' Lyon Reacts To His Omission From Gabba Test Before Toss

Gabba Test: Australias veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon has revealed he was feeling absolutely filthy at being told he wouldn't be playing in the second Test. Lyon revealed that he arrived at the ground at 12 pm (local time), only to be informed 30 minutes later that he would not be playing. In a bold selection call, Australia made two changes to the side that won in Perth, with Michael Neser replacing Lyon and Josh Inglis replacing the injured opener Usman Khawaja. Neser joins Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, and Brendan Doggett, as well as all-rounder Cameron Green, as Australia opt for an all-out pace attack for the Gabba Test. However, selection chief George Bailey earlier clarified it was very much a one-Test decision to leave out Lyon, guaranteeing the off-spinners selection for the third match against England in Adelaide. Bailey also said, Nathan will disagree with the decision, and thats perfectly okay. I think he disagreed with the decision in Jamaica, and thats perfectly okay. Asked about his conversation with chief selector George Bailey, Lyon told Channel 7 it was short. He continued, Absolutely filthy, but yeah, cant 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. Asked about what would have been the reason behind his omission, Lyon added, To be honest, I hadnt really sat down with Ronnie or George yet. Im letting things settle down in my own head and trying to make sure that Im, 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. Lyon, who was also left out of Australia's previous day-night Test against the West Indies in July, has a strong record at the Gabba, taking 52 wickets at a tick under 29, and has 43 wickets at 25.63 with the pink ball. Its no secret its a place where I absolutely love playing cricket, and I feel like Ive got a decent record here, get a lot of bounce there. I felt like the wicket was going to offer a bit of bounce for myself, but Id like to see what Jacks does, said Lyon. He also said he hasnt watched much of the action on Thursday. Yeah, Im not a great watcher, if Im being honest. I dont know how many balls Ive watched. The spinner added that communication is always there and will speak to the coaching staff when hes ready. He also said he hasnt watched much of the action on Thursday. Yeah, Im not a great watcher, if Im being honest. I dont know how many balls Ive watched. Also Read: Live Cricket Score Im not the first player to miss a Test match, and I wont be the last. But yeah, obviously pretty gutted because I know the role that I can play within Australian cricket, and especially a venue like this. Extremely disappointed, but Ill do whatever I have to do to make sure these guys are up, he concluded. Article Source: IANS