Australia In Trouble! | Nathan Lyon Sustains A Horrifying Injury

image-ljhf9wkeNathan Lyon after injury on Day 2 (Twitter)

Nathan Lyon sustained an injury on his right calf while preventing a boundary during the final session of Day 2 at Lord's. Thereafter, the Australian veteran limped off the field with the help of team physio, thus giving his side a major injury scare for the remainder of the 2023 Ashes series.

Notably, the match is also the 100th consecutive one of Lyon’s illustrious Test career, as he became the first ever specialist bowler in the format’s rich history to do so.


Nathan Lyon's injury to be assessed overnight

To prevent a boundary in the 37th over of the first English innings, Nathan Lyon pulled up and limped across the rope in pain. He was assisted by the team physio, who helped him up from the ropes and guided him towards the pavilion.

The ace-spinner had already hurled 13 overs in the innings, and accounted for the wicket of England’s threatening opener Zak Crawley for 48.

Following his injury, a spokesperson from Cricket Australia affirmed that the cricketer’s condition will be assessed overnight. If the off-spinner is not deemed fit for the match, the Australians will be one specialist bowler down against the hosts. In the worse-case scenario, young spinner Todd Murphy will likely get in the side for the remaining three Tests as veteran’s replacement.

Interestingly, Lyon’s fitness was widely lauded prior to the Lord’s Test. The ongoing match is the 100th of his career, with all coming in succession ever since he made his debut back in 2011.

As of now, the 35-year-old is sitting at 496 Test wickets. With four more to his name, he will become only the third Australian, and eighth overall to complete 500 wickets in the format. He claimed eight of those in Australia’s emphatic win in the series opener, where he also formed a match-winning partnership with captain and fellow tail-ender Pat Cummins.

Talking about the ongoing fixture, the game hangs in balance as England have come out positively in their innings after Australia put a mammoth total of 416 runs on the board, thanks to Steve Smith's 32nd Test century. Meanwhile, the home team is at 278-4 at stumps on Day 2.