Nathan Lyon has suffered a serious-looking calf harm at Lord’s earlier than England threw wickets away to go to stumps at 4-278 on day two of the second Ashes Test.
Lyon limped from the bottom briefly after tea on Thursday after feeling for his calf when charging in to catch a ball, as England mounted their reply to Australia’s first-innings 416, which featured one other Steve Smith century.
Australia are unlikely to have a full prognosis on Lyon’s proper calf till early on Friday in London, however there have been speedy issues for the sturdy 35-year-old offspinner.
Any harm to Lyon could be a catastrophe for Australia.
The spinner performed a vital function with the ball of their first Test win at Edgbaston, and was solely 4 scalps away from reaching 500 wickets when he went down at Lord’s.
Australia have one week till the beginning of the third Test at Headingley, whereas Lyon’s harm has already been in comparison with the series-defining second in 2005 when Glenn McGrath trod on a ball firstly of the second Test at Edgbaston.
Travis Head and Smith each shared overs as spinners in Lyon’s absence on Thursday night, whereas Todd Murphy is the back-up choice of their squad.
But such has been Lyon’s longevity, with the Lord’s Test his a centesimal in a row, Australia haven’t been pressured to name on one other tweaker to be chief spinner since 2013.
Lyon’s harm got here after he took the one wicket in England’s innings till that time, outsmarting Zak Crawley on 48 and having him stumped down legside.
With the rating at 1-188 shortly after Lyon went off and with Australia with out their main wicket-taker, England ought to have gone to stumps ready of actual authority.
Instead, the hosts threw away three wickets within the house of eight overs as Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett and Joe Root all inexplicably fell to Australia’s unsubtle short-ball plan with males set again for the hook shot.
Pope was the primary to go on 42, when he hit Cameron Green straight down the throat of Smith at deep backward sq..
Duckett, considered essentially the most audacious of the England batters, couldn’t assist himself and hooked Josh Hazlewood down David Warner’s throat at wonderful leg when simply two wanting his century.
Root adopted shortly after, caught by a diving Smith behind sq. on 10, after additionally earlier being caught behind on a no-ball making an attempt to hook Cameron Green on one.
Harry Brook was additionally lucky to outlive the ploy, put down by Marnus Labuschagne at sq. leg on 25 when pulling Pat Cummins.
He went to stumps unbeaten on 45, with Ben Stokes alongside him on 17 after taking a number of balls to the physique relatively than pulling.
Earlier, Smith had introduced up his twelfth Ashes century as Australia misplaced 5-77 on Thursday morning.
After resuming on 85, he briefly appeared liable to operating out of companions when Carey was trapped lbw by Stuart Broad and Starc edged off shortly.
But with Cummins (22no) on the different finish, Smith introduced up three-figures when he drove James Anderson by way of the covers, holding his arms aloft to a beneficiant applause.
Smith was finally caught within the slips driving making an attempt to drive Josh Tongue (3-98), however his 110 drew him degree with Steve Waugh for the second-most centuries by an Australian with 32.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
