Steve Smith reluctant to name Nathan Lyon for the Sydney Test

Aussie captain Steve Smith repudiated to name Nathan Lyon as a certain starter for the 3rd Test in Sydney against Pakistan, mentioning that more consistent performances are expected from the off-spinner who has been in the Australia set-up especially in the longest format for a long time. Lyon has been unimpressive in the series so far and has bagged only 3 wickets in 2 Tests.

Lyon is the most experienced member of the current Australian squad and the most prolific off-spinner in Australian cricket history. Despite the impressive record, he has struggled to make an impact in the recent past and has taken a handful of 9 wickets in the last 5 matches at an average of 66.66.

Smith was not impressed with Lyon’s performance and said it was up to the selectors to decide whether Lyon was an automatic choice for the Sydney Test. “I’m not sure. That’s up to the selectors,” Smith said when asked if Lyon was an automatic selection for the Sydney Test. “He obviously hasn’t bowled at his best in this game. It’s always difficult bowling to lots of right-handers.

“And they [Pakistan] play spin pretty well. It’s never easy bowling against subcontinent players when the ball isn’t doing a lot off the wicket as well. I guess we’re just looking for Nathan to be a little bit more consistent in the way he bowls,” Smith was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

Despite the SCG offering prodigious turn in some of the Sheffield Shield matches, Sydney has been Lyon’s worst Test venue at home in terms of his bowling average. In 5 Tests in Sydney Lyon has taken only 13 wickets at an average of 55. Australia will name their squad for the final Test on Friday after the completion of the 2nd Test and more than one spinner could be in contention. While Steve O’Keefee stands a good chance, John Cartwright who was the 12th man in the 2nd Test can also make his debut. John Holland has been sidelined for the moment by an ankle injury.

The decision might well be taken after accessing the mental and physical condition of pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood who has bowled well over 200 overs in the summer so far and it might be a tricky situation for the selectors.

“They have done some bowling,” Smith said. “It’s obviously been a pretty big summer for them as well – six Test matches is always a lot. They’ve done some yards, which is a little concerning. But I think they’re pretty confident in their bodies at the moment that everything’s going okay.

“At the end of this Test match is another opportunity for us to sum up where they’re at. They might not end up bowling much, or at all, tomorrow. We’re going to have to sum that up and see how they pull up after this Test match to see what happens in the next Test match.

“We’re going to have to weigh that up. We’ve got Hilton here. We had him in here as cover for those quicks who had a big workload last week. They were confident this week of being able to get through and get the job done. It’s going to be about summing it up and seeing where they’re at after this Test match,” Smith concluded.