Nathan Lyon is prepared to take on extra bowling during the Test summer as allrounder Cameron Green faces the likely prospect of missing the entire India series due to back surgery.
AAP understands Cricket Australia is leaning towards booking Green in for season-ending surgery on his stress fracture but has not yet held final consultations to determine the 25-year-old’s fate once-and-for-all.
But Green’s absence from at least part of the summer leaves a workload dilemma for a five-match series against India that shapes as Australia’s sternest home test since Pat Cummins became captain.
While Green’s injury could pave the way for Steve Smith to drop back to No.4 and a specialist opener to join the top of the order, the bigger concern appears to lie in bowling loads.
At 32, Australia’s second allrounder Mitch Marsh has been used sparingly for his medium pace since making his fairytale return to the Test set-up last year, deployed for a total of only 38 overs across his last seven Test matches.
The workload of the big three pacemen – Cummins, Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood – is also likely to be a delicate balancing act again this summer as the trio prepare to feature in all five Tests.
That leaves Lyon as a leading candidate to pick up the slack, the legendary off-spinner declaring he aimed to bowl as much as possible against India.
“I’m preparing to,” he said.
“I’m wanting to bowl a lot of overs. That’s what I love doing in Test cricket. I’ll do whatever I have to do for the team. Pat knows that, everyone knows that.”
Part-time spinners Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne could also take on part of Green’s workload following impressive spells during the white-ball tour of the UK.
Head’s off-spin yielded 4-28 in the fifth ODI against England to help seal a series victory for the tourists, while Labuschagne took 3-39 in the opening match. Both were ODI career-best figures.
“Trav bowled pretty well the other day in the one-dayer and so did Marnus so I think we’ve got enough options,” Lyon said.
“You’ve (also) obviously got the three best bowlers in the world in my eyes. I think there’s enough there to cover for the summer. It’s going to be an amazing summer.”
Lyon took a five-fer in the first of what he expects to be three Sheffield Shield games for NSW before the Test summer.
He swept through the tail to confirm figures of 5-47 as NSW restricted South Australia to 260.
The 36-year-old said he was hungry for what is likely to be his last home Test series against India.
“I’ve been itching to get back playing. It’s what I love doing. I feel like I’ve been training the house down, in a really good headspace,” he said.
“It’s obviously a massive summer ahead.”
