Following the Ashes 2025 victory and taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match Test series, the Australian team faced a dilemma regarding the replacement of their leading spinner. Nathan Lyon was not part of the team that played on Boxing Day against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which commences on December 26.
What is the reason for Nathan Lyon’s absence from the Ashes 2025 Boxing Day Test?
Nathan Lyon, the 38-year-old off-spinner, has not been much of a factor in Australia’s magnificent triumphs in the current Ashes. In the first Test, he was allowed to bowl only two overs and was consequently dropped from the team for the pink ball Test. This marked the first time in 12 years that he did not play in a home Test match. Nevertheless, he came back and played in the third Test where he took two wickets in the first innings and three in the second.
Unfortunately, the spinner suffered a right hamstring injury during the last day of the match while diving at fine leg to stop a boundary. He was in very severe pain when he limped off the field after a short dialogue with Marnus Labuschagne. He later left the Adelaide Oval for some scans on crutches. Although he participated in the celebrations of Australia’s Adelaide Test victory, Lyon’s injury has ultimately led to his exclusion from the Boxing Day Test.
Who takes over Nathan Lyon in Ashes 2025 Boxing Day Test?
With the absence of Nathan Lyon, it was first thought that Todd Murphy, a bowler with similar abilities, would be the one to get the call for the tour. Nevertheless, the temporary captain Steve Smith let it be known during the pre-match press conference that Australia intends to deploy a pace attack only for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, thus not including Todd Murphy as a specialist spinner.
Smith reasoned that the decision was purely based on the weather and the pitch since he thinks the surface will be favorable for the fast bowlers in the cold and cloudy conditions.
“We will examine the pitch, but it seems one that will give a lot to the fast bowlers. It is not a question of Todd’s talent. We are all aware that he is a first-class bowler, but this week we have opted for an all-pace attack,” Smith stated.
Interestingly, Todd Murphy had substituted Lyon in Ashes 2023 in England. Murphy has a superb record at the MCG. Playing for Victoria, Murphy took 10 wickets in 7 innings of the Sheffield Shield matches with a remarkable average of 23.70, but he did not bowl much because the seamers of Victoria were so dominant. Recently, he had also impressed while playing for Australia A against England Lions in Brisbane where he picked up 3 wickets.
Comments are closed.