Test star Nathan Lyon has opened up on the calf injury that ended his Ashes campaign and has given fresh insight into the controversial Jonny Bairstow stumping and the reaction of English fans that left Australian players “gobsmacked”.
Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, the veteran spinner said how shattered he was to suffer a calf injury in what was supposed to be a special occasion as he became the first specialist bowler to play 100 Tests in a row.
The injury has ruled him out for the rest of the series, with Australia leading 2-1 ahead of the fourth Test starting in Manchester on Wednesday evening (AEST).
“Pretty shattering,” he replied when asked about how he’s dealt with the injury.
“I’ve had a lot of emotion around my first-ever injury and the timing of it in what was meant to be a pretty big milestone for myself.
“The boys are talking that I’ve only played 99.5 games in a row.
“I actually tried to get the spider-cam moved just before that ball and tried to get Chris Gaffaney the umpire to move it.
“Then I went back and Ben Duckett played the pull shot, got a top edge and I went to take off and I just heard this little gun shot and just felt it go straight away. I knew straight away my series was done there and then.”
Lyon could barely move after that, which is why everyone from his partner to his teammates told him that there was no need for him to bat in Australia’s second innings even though he was desperate to contribute.
There was one person who wanted him to bat – coach Andrew McDonald – and that was the green light Lyon needed to bravely walk out to the middle where he added 15 valuable runs for the final wicket with Mitchell Starc.
“Em (his wife) was over there with me and I said that morning ‘just so you know, I’m going to bat if required’ and she just looked at me and said ‘you are an absolute idiot’,” he recalled.
“‘I’m helping you in the shower and everything like that, you’re an idiot’.
“I went to the ground, spoke to the medical team in the morning, they said, ‘Nah, you’re not batting’, so I went to Pat (Cummins) and Pat said, ‘You’re not batting, Gaz, get it out of your head’.
“I went to Ron (McDonald) and said ‘I am batting’. He goes, ‘Good, I’m thinking the same thing’.
“So Andrew McDonald was the one who said yep, so I said I need you to talk to the medical team, so he went to talk to the medical team.
“I knew the risks. If it was a minor tear I probably wouldn’t have gone out to bat understanding we had a decent break and we may have missed the third Test and be right for the fourth and fifth Tests, but I knew I was out for the next 10-12 weeks.
“So I took a couple of tablets, got strapped from my knee down, couldn’t move my foot at all and hobbled out, stood in the Long Room and waited to bat.”
Lyon has plenty of time to recover ahead of the next Test at home against Pakistan in December, and it’s likely he’ll have to hear English fans whinge for the next five months about how Bairstow was “unfairly” stumped by Alex Carey.
The hostile scenes in the Long Room at Lord’s went over the top when some fans abused Australian players as they walked through, but Lyon had no idea what they were complaining about.
“I was in the change room and it just erupted. I was like, ‘How good. Suck eggs. That’s out every day of the (week)’,” he said.
“It was actually quite interesting. Jamie Cox, who used to be part of South Australian cricket and a (Australia) selector and obviously with Tasmanian Cricket, he’s now over at the MCC.
“I was out the back at Lord’s talking to him and I actually had an older lady come up to me in tears – an English lady in tears from the main members’ area – and she said, ‘I’ve got to go home. I just want to apologise to you Australian cricketers for the way everyone has reacted inside Lord’s’.
“I just told her don’t worry about it, we’re all OK, we’re not worried about getting sledged.
“But it hit home for me that Ashes cricket can affect so many people in different ways and just the actions of people can hit so many different people as well. It was a nice moment but an awkward moment with the lady in genuine tears about it all.
“The emotions in the change room were quite remarkable. Everyone was gobsmacked but found it hilarious because you walk through that Long Room and you’re more chance of getting sued than punched.
“So you look at it like that and all these guys abusing you and you’re like, ‘What’s going on here?’
“It was quite funny in all respects.”