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"Don't think patch up...": AUS coach reacts to Nathan Lyon’s 'filthy' remark for Gabba snub

Soumyajit Dutta

Nathan Lyon and Andrew McDonald [Source: @ImTanujSingh/X.com]Nathan Lyon and Andrew McDonald [Source: @ImTanujSingh/X.com]

In what can be called an unhinged interview, veteran spinner Nathan Lyon reacted strongly to his snub from the Gabba Test, and current Australia coach Andrew McDonald believes ‘there’s not much to patch up’ with him.

After Lyon’s viral ‘filthy’ comment on selectors and his raw take on his feelings after being axed from the pink-ball Test, Lyon admitted that he was ‘gutted’. Justifying the move to snub Lyon, McDonald, however, thinks that making him sit out was probably the best decision for Gabba, as they opted for Michael Neser instead.

What did Nathan Lyon say after the snub?

Speaking after the axing, Lyon was brutally real and raw with his confession about the snub as he took a dig at the selectors for his absence.

“I haven't really sat down with 'Ronny' (McDonald) or George yet. When things settle down in my own head (I will). I'm not the first player to miss a Test match and I won't be the last. But obviously I'm pretty gutted, because I know the role that I can play within Australian cricket, especially at a venue like this,” Lyon said to the media.

Australia coach responds to Lyon's comments

Reacting to Lyon’s comments after the Gabba Test, coach McDonald was compassionate as he empathised with Lyon’s situation while stressing the importance of having no frontline spinners for the D/N test.

"I don't think 'patch up' are the right words, that's probably a little bit of an overreaction. We just value different things in the pink-ball game and unfortunately that meant that Nathan had to squeeze (out), that's nothing to do with his skillset. For him to be disappointed, I understand that, I get that. I'd be disappointed if he wasn't disappointed," McDonald said.

However, McDonald clearly stated the fact that they value spinners and Lyon, for sure, is going to play a major role in the remaining three Tests for Australia.

"I'll make this a headline: We still do value spin. That's the first game Nathan's missed in Australia for a long time. Has his impact been as great as previous seasons with the surfaces that we're playing on? Potentially not. (But) I think Nathan's going to have an incredibly huge impact in the last three Test matches if you look to what he did at the MCG last year. When the surface became benign day three onwards, he was able to navigate through a hole," McDonald added.

With the next Test scheduled for Adelaide, Hazlewood is still out of the fray as captain Cummins returns on December 17. Meanwhile, England will have a last chance to salvage the series as the hosts already lead 2-0.