‘It doesn’t bode well’: Lyon, Cummins could sit out the rest of the Ashes

Nathan Lyon is set to miss the remainder of the Ashes, while skipper Pat Cummins may not feature again in the series after a six-wicket haul in Adelaide qualified as a job well done for the returning fast bowler.

As Australia searched for wickets in pursuit of victory in Adelaide on Sunday, Lyon clutched at his right hamstring after diving while fielding a ball at fine leg.

The spinner, who had taken 3-77 off 25 overs in England’s second innings, walked off the field after throwing the ball back and took no further part in the match.

The 38-year-old received a pat on the back from Marnus Labuschagne before being taken to a nearby hospital for scans.

Lyon returned to the ground on crutches but was unable to celebrate with teammates as Scott Boland took the final wicket of Josh Tongue.

Cummins said it was unlikely that Lyon would play in either Melbourne or Sydney.

“It doesn’t look great,” Cummins said. “Don’t know yet [how bad], but someone on crutches doesn’t really bode well for a Test a week away.”

West Australian Corey Rocchiccioli, Tasmanian Matt Kuhnemann and Victorian Todd Murphy loom as spin options if Lyon cannot play the fourth Test, which starts on Boxing Day at the MCG.

Rocchiccioli, a right-arm off-spinner, has 20 Sheffield Shield wickets this summer at an average of 28, having taken 38 wickets last summer. Murphy and Kuhnemann have played Tests for Australia in India and Sri Lanka.

Lyon injured his calf in the second Test of the 2023 Ashes at Lord’s and took no further part in the series. Australia won that Test to go 2-0 up but failed to win again in Lyon’s absence, as the series ended in a 2-2 draw.

Murphy took Lyon’s spot in the Australian team on that tour.

“Gaz is pretty close to irreplaceable,” Cummins said. “It’s going to be hard to replace but we’ve already got some guys who’ve already had a taste of international cricket around the traps. Other guys have done well in domestic cricket.”

Cummins admitted he, too, was unlikely to feature in the Boxing Day Test. The skipper bowled seven overs on Sunday amid speculation he may have been battling soreness.

Australia had planned for a best-case scenario where Cummins would play in Adelaide and Sydney, but that will be revisited in coming days.

“As for the rest of the series, we’ll wait and see,” Cummins said. “We had a pretty aggressive build-up knowing the Ashes are there to be won, and we thought that was worth it. Now that the series has been won, there might be a sense of, ‘Job done, and let’s reassess the risk’.

“I doubt I’ll be playing Melbourne, and then we’ll have a chat about Sydney. But certainly before the series, it was, ‘While the series was live, take on the risk and have a crack at it’. Now it’s done, I think we need to have a chat about it.

“You always anticipate that you’re going to have to chop and change a little bit. Brendan Doggett and Ness [Michael Neser] were the two spare bowlers here. Jhye [Richardson] was bowling in the nets. There are a few other guys who are playing Big Bash and keeping their workloads up in case they’re needed.”

Asked whether Mitchell Starc or Scott Boland might be rested in Melbourne, Cummins said: “Good luck to anyone telling Starcy or even Scotty they’re going to miss a Boxing Day Test if they’re fully fit. Like always, probably give it 48 hours, see how everyone pulls up … and make sure there’s nothing more sinister there. At the moment, they both seem good.”

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