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The Australia National Cricket Team has been on tour for Bangladesh and concluded the ODI series, losing 2-1, and now it's time for the T20I series, where they play three matches before hosting the Bangla Tigers for a two-match Test series in August. Ahead of the Test match, Nathan Lyon has dropped a massive update on his retirement plans.
The veteran off-spinner has dialled up the Australia selectors to urge that he can still play every Test as he enters the concluding stages of his recovery from a "pretty traumatic" hamstring injury. Lyon has been out since tearing his hamstring off the bone in the third Ashes Test in December. However, his rehab has been on track to be fit for the home series against Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay.
Nathan Lyon gets ready for the Bangladesh Test, denies retirement
Nathan Lyon has left no stone unturned to regain full fitness. He has been working out in the gym for five days a week and has driven 700km since taking up road cycling in his recovery, and is almost back to running at full intensity. Lyon remains a crucial player for Australia in the traditional format of the game.
The off-spinner bowled at Cricket Central in Sydney on Monday morning and plans to bowl on turf wickets against batters in the upcoming days. "It's been quite a long process from the Adelaide Test. We're probably two-thirds through it now ... it's a pretty traumatic injury," said Cricket Australia physical performance coach Ross Herridge.
We've got markers through this process- Ross Herridge
"We've got markers through this process, physical markers, that we check along the way. So far he's hit all of them." Previously, chief selector George Bailey stated that Nathan Lyon might not be able to play all games given his injury during the Ashes.
Lyon said he worked hard to fully recover from surgery so that he could participate in every match as Australia prepares for up to 21 Tests in a year beginning in August. Australia, apart from Bangladesh, plays South Africa away from home, then hosts New Zealand in the back end of the year and later travelling to India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in January 2027.
Set on playing every Test match I'm available for - Nathan Lyon
"I saw George's comments; he's had a phone call. I've seen Andrew's comments; he's had a phone call," Nathan Lyon said on Monday as tickets to the Australian international summer went on sale. "I wouldn't be doing all this work right now if I didn't want to play every Test match."
"No one has a given right to be selected for Australia, so I know I need to make sure I'm performing, doing all the right things, but I'm, head and heart, set on playing every Test match I'm available for. I know how hungry I am … and I'm addicted to training."
"I'm addicted to trying to get better every day, so trying to get back to the fitness level (I was at prior to the injury) was never a concern for me."
