A ‘shattered’ Nathan Lyon criticizes Kevin Pietersen’s ‘lewd’ comments in second Ashes test at Lord’s
After Nathan Lyon bravely stumbled out to help score 15 runs for Australia despite a serious calf injury, England cricket great Kevin Pietersen suggested he only did so to get hit in the head.
If Lyon was hit in the head while batting and suffered a concussion, he could have been substituted for a like-for-like substitution due to ICC laws – meaning spinner Todd Murphy could have come in and bowled in the fourth innings.
It was a suggestion that did not sit well with Lyon, given the trauma the Aussie side endured when prodigious opener Phillip Hughes tragically died after being hit by a bouncer.
Lyon, who was playing his 100th Test in a row, is now unlikely to feature in this series after badly tearing his left calf muscle playing on day two at Lord’s.
Pietersen, who has received huge criticism for his online commentary during this Ashes series, suspected Lyon took the field with such a serious injury to potentially give Australia a concussion.
Nathan Lyon, pictured on crutches ahead of day four at Lord’s, bravely stumbled to the wicket to bat and helped Australia to 15 more runs
England great Kevin Pietersen suspected Lyon took the field with such a serious injury to potentially give Australia a concussion
The comments did not sit well with Lyon, pointing out that one of his close friends, Phillip Hughes (left, pictured celebrating a wicket together in 2011) died after being hit on the head by a bouncer
‘I think [taking] time out the match and take every point out too,” Pietersen said on the Sky Sports broadcast about why Lyon stumbled to bat.
‘[But] Imagine him [Lyon] had been hit on the head and suffered a concussion, he would have been given an equal replacement and a world-class spinner [Todd Murphy] … it gives food for thought.’
A clearly emotional Lyon was furious after the game when he heard Pietersen’s comments.
“I’ve heard comments that people thought I went out to get a blow to the head, and I’m really against that because I lost one of my buddies to a blow to the head,” he said, referring to the tragic death of Hughes.
“So I think that’s a really bad excuse or conversation.”
Lyon was just yards away from Hughes on 25 November 2014 when he was felled by a Sean Abbott bouncer while playing for South Australia against NSW in a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.
He collapsed on the turf and never regained consciousness, as the popular star died in front of his teammates. Lyon and David Warner were two of the first players to join him before he later died in hospital.
Phillip Hughes, who became the youngest batsman to hit two centuries in the same Test (pictured, 2009), lives on in the memories of his ex-teammates
The sports world was thrown into mourning when Hughes went down with the SCG. He never regained consciousness after being airlifted to the hospital
The entire Australian sporting community was thrown into intense grief and mourning – including Lyon, who will never forget that tragic day.
“I was about ten yards from Phil when he got hit that day. The memories are obviously pretty fresh, and he was obviously a pretty good friend of mine and an incredible teammate as well. It’s one of those things you can’t let go of,” he said on the 2020 Ordineroli Speaking Podcast.
So it is understandable that a commentator putting forward the idea that a blow to the head would be a good thing for Lyon and Australia would evoke a high level of emotion.
Fans – who have so far spotted Pietersen’s commentary on the series – were also quick to blast the English greatness.
“I think it would be pretty ridiculous to suggest that someone would try to deliberately concuss a submarine. Especially not Australia given what happened to Phil Hughes,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“Sorry but KP suggesting Australia sent Nathan Lyon there thinking he’d get a concussion so they can fall into a spinner is bloody obscene,” said another.
“Pietersen spews utter conspiracy theories about Australia sending Lyon off to hopefully suffer a concussion, enabling a replacement spinner,” a third commented.
Fans were quick to criticize Pietersen’s insensitive comments on the broadcast
That was far from the only thing Lyon was emotional about.
The 35-year-old, who is just four wickets short of his 500th in Test cricket, is the ultimate team man having bowled more than 5,220 overs since his debut in 2011.
And he now faces the prospect of not being able to take the field for the remainder of the series – which will be down to the wire.
‘I’m completely devastated. I’ve been in tears, I’ve been upset, I’ve been in pain,” he told reporters after the day’s play.
“It shows that this team means everything to me. And I will now begin this rehab journey to come back and play my part and continue to love what I can do.
“I have a serious tear in my right calf. It’s pretty obvious. I’ll sit down with our medical team tomorrow and we’ll talk about that.
“Pretty crushing, pretty gutted. Pretty speechless if I’m honest. But I have a lot of confidence in that dressing room and I love being part of this team.’
Australia were able to score an extra 15 runs thanks to Lyon hobbling to the crease, with the plucky tail man even managing to hook Stuart Broad for four.
But he was clearly in a lot of pain doing this.
Australian star spinner was in a lot of pain but said he would ‘do anything for this team’
Lyon talks to Stuart Broad (left) at center during Australia’s innings on day four
For example, Lyon stumbled to wait for his turn to bat in the iconic Lord’s Long Room amongst excited England fans as it would take them too long to get to center from the dressing room.
“I would have had a timeout. The elevators here are pretty slow, so I had to go down the stairs,” he said.
“It was interesting to be in the long room instead of waiting in the pavilion to bat. It was like being in the zoo, many eyes were on me, watching what we were doing, what we were talking about. But I do everything for this team.
‘I knew the risks. But the way I look at it, as I said before, I will do anything for this team.
“You never know how big a 15-run partnership can be in an Ashes series. I’m proud of myself for going out and doing that.’
Those 15 runs could prove crucial indeed, with the game once again in a precarious position heading into the final day.
Ben Stokes (29*) and Ben Duckett (50*) are on the crease, needing 257 runs.
If Australia can take the remaining six wickets and continue the momentum Mitch Starc and Pat Cummins have generated with some searing spells to close out day four, the side will rise 2-0 in the series – giving England a mountain to climb has.