Kevin Pietersen is copping plenty of flak, trolling, and criticism from all corners, not least from Nathan Lyon himself, for his suggestion that Nathan Lyon came out to bat at Lord’s, despite suffering from a calf injury, so that if by chance he gets hit on the head, he can be concussed subbed out and off-spinner Todd Murphy could come in as a concussion substitute.
Playing in his 100th consecutive Test match for Australia, Nathan Lyon suffered a “significant” calf strain on Day 2 of the Lord’s Test, which is the second Test of the ongoing Ashes 2023. He had bowled 13 overs in England’s first innings before limping off the field with the assistance of the physio. Lyon is likely to be ruled out of the remainder of the series.
However, his series wasn’t over yet. Despite this injury and the huge amount of pain, Nathan Lyon came out to bat at number 11 in Australia’s second innings. Lyon and Starc added 15 valuable runs for the 10th wicket partnership as Australia set England a target of 371 runs.
Nathan Lyon blasts Kevin Pietersen for his “concussion” remark
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen stated that Lyon coming out to bat could be Australia’s ploy of using the concussion substitute if he gets hit on the head from England’s bouncer barrage.
“Imagine if he [Lyon] had been hit on the head and got concussion, he’d have got a like-for-like replacement and a world-class spinner [Todd Murphy], based on how he performed in India, it gives food for thought,” Pietersen said while commentating for Sky Sports.
This remark from Pietersen didn’t go down well with anyone, not least Nathan Lyon who hit back at Pietersen, citing the shocking demise of Phil Hughes in 2014 to a bouncer. He said it’s really “poor” of Pietersen and anyone to suggest something like this.
“Test cricket’s been around a lot longer than I have and injuries are part of the game,” Lyon said. “I have heard comments that I only went out there to get hit in the head but I’m really against that. I have lost one of my mates due to being hit in the head so I think that’s a really poor conversation being had, if I’m honest with you.”
