"If I See Mitchell Johnson On The Ground, I Will..."- Nathan Lyon

Australia spin spearhead Nathan Lyon has said that he would have no problems in greeting Mitchell Johnson ahead of the first Test against Pakistan in Perth. The star spinner has also insisted that their bond from the 2013-14 Ashes series is not affected despite the former fast-bowler’s harsh criticism of the Australian team in recent times.

Mitchell Johnson recently grabbed the spotlight after lashing out at the treatment given to David Warner. The World Cup-winning pacer expressed his disappointment over Warner getting a Test farewell despite his involvement in the sandpapergate scandal. He had also questioned chief selector George Bailey’s integrity.

Recently, the former bowler also urged the Australian selectors to use the upcoming Test series against Pakistan and the West Indies as an opportunity to introduce the next generation of players. He also said that Warner should not be the only senior batsman thinking about retiring as he pointed out that eight of the eleven players who are likely to take on Pakistan are 32 or older.

In the wake of Mitchell Johnson’s comments against Warner as well as the Australian team, it is widely expected that the Australian players might avoid greeting the former bowler when he attends the first Test as a commentator. However, Nathan Lyon has stated that he would have no problems in saying hello to his former teammate.

“If he’s around the ground I’ll say hello to him, I’ve got no dramas with saying hello. He was pretty incredible in that 2013-14 Ashes, and I’ve got some very fond memories of it, that’s for sure,” Nathan Lyon was quoted as saying by WAtoday.

Nathan Lyon reacts to Mitchell Johnson’s comments:

Speaking further, Nathan Lyon expressed his disagreement over Mitchell Johnson’s comments regarding the senior players in the Australian team.

“You look at the squad we’ve got at the moment, yes we’ve played a lot of cricket together but we’ve won a lot of games together as well. Then you look at the World Cup guys and what they’ve been able to win as a collective, I feel like that’s incredibly important,” said Nathan Lyon.

“This is Australia’s cricket team and in my eyes, you need to pick the best available 11 and I believe that is what the selectors are doing,” he added.

Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon is on the verge of joining the 500 wickets club in Tests. He needs only 4 wickets to achieve the incredible feat. The 36-year-old is in line to become just the third Australian after the legendary Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath to reach the 500-wicket mark in Tests. In 122 Tests, he has picked up 496 wickets.