Australia will be without their premier spinner Nathan Lyon for the remainder of the Ashes series after Cricket Australia confirmed that the off-spinner requires surgery following an injury sustained in the third Test at Adelaide.
Lyon suffered a torn right hamstring on Day 5 of the Adelaide Test while diving to stop a boundary in the outfield. Despite the injury, he attempted to continue briefly before scans revealed the extent of the damage. Medical staff have since advised surgical intervention, ruling him out of the remaining Tests.
The injury brings an abrupt end to Lyon’s Ashes campaign, after he played a key role in Australia’s series-clinching victory in Adelaide. Given the nature of the hamstring tear and the recovery timeline associated with surgery, there was no realistic possibility of Lyon returning later in the series.
With Lyon sidelined, selectors have moved quickly to add Todd Murphy to the squad. Murphy, who last played a Test in Sri Lanka in February earlier this year, is now in line to return to the longest format on home soil and provide Australia with a frontline spin option for the Boxing Day Test and beyond.
Unlike Pat Cummins’s absence, which is linked to workload management, Lyon’s omission is purely injury-driven. Cricket Australia has prioritised his long-term fitness, especially given his importance to Australia’s red-ball plans in future series.
In short, Nathan Lyon is out of the Ashes due to a confirmed hamstring tear that requires surgery, making him unavailable for the remainder of the series regardless of the match situation or squad rotation considerations.
