Nathan Lyon speaks out after cricket hero caught in storm over move with wife
Nathan Lyon has moved to clear up his presence at the Australian Formula One grand prix with wife Emma after being dragged into a similar controversy to Usman Khawaja. Aussie Test star Khawaja's decision to skip a crucial Sheffield Shield game for Queensland and attend the F1 in Melbourne saw the opener come under fire and sparked a feud with Queensland Cricket's head of elite cricket Joe Dawes, who claimed they had no knowledge of Khawaja's hamstring issue and were "disappointed" he chose not to play.
Khawaja came out to publicly refute that suggestion and said he pulled out because of the injury and that both Cricket Australia and Queensland's medical teams were aware of the issue. And the Test opener insisted it had always been the plan to skip the Shield game as a way of managing his busy national schedule anyway, following the Test tour of Sri Lanka that followed the five-Test series against India over the summer. Khawaja did return to Queensland's side for the Shield final but was powerless to help his state prevent South Australia winning the title.
Lyon was in a similar boat to Khawaja and also failed to feature in a crucial match for NSW after battling to recover from a hip injury. Australia's greatest Test off-spin bowler was set to return for the Blues if they made the Shield final but like Khawaja, was also dragged into the F1 controversy after being seen in attendance at the grand prix in Melbourne with his wife, Emma.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Lyon was quick to point out that he was officially ruled out for NSW with injury after defending his own presence at the F1 grand prix, when his side were playing a must-win Sheffield Shield game. "I'd been medically ruled out, to clear all that up," Lyon said at a media conference for the launch of next summer's international fixtures.
"The plan was to play the Shield final if NSW were lucky enough to get in there but that wasn't the case. I've been doing a fair amount of rehab, pretty well five days a week. That's the reason I didn't play the Shield game. I love playing cricket for NSW and state cricket. Any opportunity, I'll play. But in saying that, the F1 was pretty good."
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Lyon initially downplayed the injury he suffered during the India series, which then lingered on during the tour of Sri Lanka. The 37-year-old ripped tissue off the fascia in his left hip, causing him plenty of discomfort. The area also filled with fluid when Lyon ran, meaning it required draining more than once. But the veteran added that it's "all well and good now".
The off-spinner's recovery is good news for his chances of featuring in June's World Test Championship final against South Africa. But the situation around Lyon and Khawaja has sparked debate around whether players with Cricket Australia contracts should have an obligation to play state cricket - and whether they should feel compelled to. Under the current system, players with CA contracts aren't also contracted to their state teams, meaning they don't deal with them directly.
Despite also being seen at the Australian GP with his wife Emma, who posted a number of photos of the pair on social media - Lyon did not attract anywhere near the same level of scrutiny as Khawaja. Speaking on SEN radio about the situation recently, cricket journalist Robert Craddock revealed some Aussie Test stars who don't have IPL contracts and were technically available to play Shield cricket - such as Steve Smith - weren't even in the country. And he said it showed the situation went much deeper than the unavailability of a couple of Test stars.
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"Someone told me Lyon hasn't been playing due to workload issues," Craddock said. "Really? A spin bowler whose next first-class game is two months away. Steve Smith was in America last weekend when NSW were playing. "It's been such an accepted thing that players just don't turn up, especially because NSW have so many of them (Test players). Khawaja became the focus, but he'd probably look back and say it probably wasn't worth it missing the game, and particularly going to the Grand Prix. It wasn't a good look."
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