Melbourne, April 1 (IANS) Cricket Australia has unveiled a streamlined 21-player central contract list for the 2026–27 season, reflecting a clear emphasis on red-ball cricket ahead of an unusually demanding Test schedule. With 15 Tests lined up over the next year, selectors have prioritised players suited to the longer format, resulting in several high-profile exclusions.Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett are among the notable inclusions, both securing their first full national contracts afte…
Latest Nathan Lyon News & Updates
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Australia will tour South Africa for a landmark three-Test series in 2026-27, marking their first red-ball visit to the country since the infamous 2018 ball-tampering episode in Cape Town.Cricket South Africa unveiled their international schedule for the 2026-27 season, confirming a marquee contest between the two most recent World Test Championship winners. The series will culminate at Newlands in Cape Town, the venue where the 2018 scandal unfolded and triggered one of…
Melbourne, Jan 4 (IANS) Australia leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson has delivered a blunt assessment of spinners not being fielded in the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, saying this decision made by the team think-tank ‘sucks’. At a venue historically renowned for favoring slow bowlers, Australia fielded an all-pace attack, and overlooked a spin bowling option for the third time in the ongoing Ashes. “It sucks, mate. I won’t be careful, it sucks. Being a spin bowler I am obviou…
Sydney, Jan 4 (IANS) Former England captain Michael Atherton believes the ongoing Ashes series has become “one-dimensional” due to the lack of spin bowling caused by pitches being more in favour of fast bowlers. England did not select a specialist spinner for any of the five matches, with off-spinner Shoaib Bashir overlooked, while Will Jacks bowled occasional off-spin but was not considered a frontline option.Australia, meanwhile, named Nathan Lyon for the first and third Tests but omitted the …
Sydney, Jan 4 (IANS) Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has mapped out his vision for the next Ashes battle in England in 2027, backing a largely familiar core after Australia comfortably retained the urn at home against England.Speaking on 7 Cricket, the 51-year-old made only minimal changes to the current Test setup, placing his faith in the experience and durability of senior campaigners Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon.Both endured injury setbacks during the ongoing 2025–26 Ashes, with Lyon…
Sydney, Jan 4 (IANS) Australia’s spin bowling coach, Daniel Vettori, has defended the side’s decision to field an all-seam attack in the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) but insisted that spin bowling remains very important in the longer format.With veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon sidelined by a hamstring injury, Australia opted not to select a frontline spinner for the Test match in Sydney, the first time since 1888. It’s also the third time Australia has fielded an all…
Sydney, Jan 3 (IANS) Australian stand-in captain Steve Smith is ready to relinquish captaincy to a younger candidate in the absence of captain Pat Cummins if that is what the selectors wish to do. With Usman Khawaja hanging up his cricket boots on Sunday after the Sydney Test, Nathan Lyon has already been ruled out due to injury. Smith will now be the oldest player in the Australian XI, side by side with Scott Boland. When asked about possibly being involved in the 2027 Ashes series in England, …
Melbourne, Dec 26 (IANS) Australia captain Pat Cummins has set his sights on the T20 World Cup 2026 after a successful hit-and-run mission in the Ashes series, saying he is cooling his heels for a bit with the mega spectacle in India and Sri Lanka beginning in early February.Cummins, who missed the first two Ashes Tests as he was recovering from his back issue, returned for the third Test in Adelaide to pick up six wickets in the series-clinching win.With the Ashes urn successfully retained, Aus…
Melbourne, Dec 25 (IANS) Australian stand-in captain Steve Smith opted for an all-pace attack for the fourth Ashes Test against England with the hosts yet to settle on their Playing XI.Smith announced the final 12 for the fourth Test after Australia’s last training session on Thursday and said selectors would assess the “quite furry” MCG pitch again on Friday morning before finalising their pace attack, with Michael Neser, Brendan Doggett and returning quick Jhye Richardson vying for the f…
Adelaide, Dec 23 (IANS) Todd Murphy and Jhye Richardson have been added to Australia’s 15-member squad for the fourth Ashes Test, starting on December 26.Murphy edged out Matt Kuhnemann and Corey Rocchiccioli to replace Nathan Lyon as the veteran off-spinner set to undergo surgery on his injured hamstring.Murphy has featured seven times at Test level for Australia, with his most recent match coming at the start of the year against Sri Lanka in Galle.Australia confirmed on Tuesday that Nathan Lyo…