The player has made 130-plus Test appearances for Australia.
Australia have dropped veteran spinner Nathan Lyon, for the first time since 2013, for their third and final Test against the West Indies. This selection move came as a shock to all the fans ahead of the third Pink Ball contest. The last time they dropped Lyon was in an overseas Test against England in 2013, which was also coincidentally the debut red-ball match of another Australian spinner, Ashton Agar.
Australia’s selector Tony Dodemaide admitted that the decision was hard to make. He also emphasised that the call was entirely based upon the playing conditions. It led them to pick four pacers for the day-night clash in skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Scott Boland.
“Obviously, an unusual selection for us. It’s not something we generally want to do and it’s fair to say it wasn’t front of mind when we got to Sabina Park. It was a conditions-based decision to go in with four quicks,” stated the Aussie selector.
However, the Windies team made a contrasting change as they replaced seamer Anderson Phillip with spinner Jomel Warrican.
Dodemaide also revealed that the veteran spinner, who has represented the nation in 130-plus Test matches, was disheartened to miss out on the enthralling fixture.
“He’s disappointed because he wants to play every game. It’s not a reflection on performance for Nathan. He’s a team man as well and understands the right thing for the team and he’ll do his best to support the guys,” he added.
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Following the first two red-ball fixtures against the West Indies, the batting disaster of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 runners-up, Australia, also continued in the latest match at Sabina Park, Jamaica. After electing to bat first, the Aussie openers once again failed to put up a crucial stand. They were dismissed for 23 and 17 runs under 32 overs.
Cameron Green scored a gritty 46 following his 52 in the last match. Steve Smith, the top scorer of the innings, was dismissed for just two runs short of a half-century. Shamar Joseph continued his brilliance against Australia to bag another four-fer in the match. Furthermore, three-wicket hauls from Jayden Seales and Justin Greaves folded Australia for just 225.
Starc, playing his 100th match in the format, struck early to dismiss opener Kevlon Anderson in the second innings. Brandon King and skipper Roston Chase will resume the second day’s play on 16/1.
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