Australia is considering its lineup balance due to the pink ball and Sabina Park’s pitch conditions, and captain Pat Cummins isn’t ruling out benching Nathan Lyon in favor of another pace bowler.
Lyon hasn’t missed a Test XI since the 2013 series against England, with the exception of the three games he missed in the 2023 Ashes due to a calf injury sustained at Lord’s. Lyon has been a great player for the Australia side as at times his off spin single handedly won games for the Australians.
Asked directly whether leaving Lyon was a possibility, Cummins said: “I think everything’s an option. We honestly haven’t settled on it. We all left yesterday and thought we’d just sleep on it, come back and have a look and make up our mind today.”
Cummins, head coach Andrew McDonald, and touring selector Tony Dodemaide engaged in a lengthy conversation as Australia’s training session came to a close on Friday.
Following the second Test, George Bailey, the chair of selectors, left for Australia. Cummins now frequently announces the starting lineup the day before the game.
“[There are] a few more unknowns…I think mainly [the] pink ball and trying to get our heads around exactly what it’s going to do,” Cummins had said before the training session. “That last session [under lights] might be a little bit longer than Adelaide.”
Lyon has taken nine wickets at 18.33, including six in Grenada, to bring his total to 562, one more than Glenn McGrath, who holds the second-most for Australia after Shane Warne, despite the series being dominated by the quicks.
“We’ve spent a lot of time together,” Starc said. “So to play with a lot of really close mates, to play with a lot of really good people around the staff and the playing group has been really special.”
However, Cummins did not foresee a negative reaction should a change be made. “I mean, it’s all hypothetical here. I think everyone here has a pretty good track record of doing whatever the team needs and being really excited for the guys that play.”
Recalling their specialist spinner, Jomel Warrican, after he was left out in Grenada is one of the major issues they are considering, according to West Indies skipper Roston Chase.
“It has a bit of grass on it, but I think the groundsman said he might shave off a bit,” he added. “So still yet to see what the final surface will look like, but it looks pretty hard. I mean, the practice wickets look similar, so the ball has been doing a bit in the practice session. Looks like a good cricket wicket.”
The third Test between the two nations will be played on 12th July at Sabina Park. It is eminent to mention Australia have already secured the series by 2-0. In the upcoming Test, Australia will look for a clean sweep while Windies would hope for a win for “hope”
