Lyon has time to lick his wounds

Australia's bowling coach David Saker says a cracked callus affected the way Nathan Lyon bowled during India's second innings in the second Test.

Australia's Nathan Lyon

An extended break between Tests has come at a good time for Nathan Lyon, who has a cracked callus. (AAP)

An extended break between Tests has come at a good time for Nathan Lyon, whose rhythm was interrupted in Bangalore by a cracked callus on his spinning finger.

Lyon delivered the greatest performance of his career on day one of the second Test, with a haul of 8-50 that broke all manner of records.

The offspinner was far less potent in India's second innings, recording figures of 0-82 as they took control of the contest en route to a 75-run victory.

A couple of dropped catches didn't help Lyon's cause, but the 29-year-old's control and consistency was nowhere near the incredible level it was in India's first dig.

Lyon was clearly bothered by his dinged-up digit with the tweaker leaving the field for treatment on a couple of occasions.

"There's no doubt it impacted the way he bowled, but that's a part of the game," Australia's bowling coach David Saker said.

"Fast bowlers bowl with bad toes and backs, spin bowlers over time have gone through some finger issues.

"You probably have to deal with it as best you can, but there's no doubt it affects a lot of bowlers. Just those little niggles, always affect people."

The four-Test series, currently level at 1-1, continues in Ranchi on Thursday. There will be at least one change to the side, with Mitch Marsh having returned home because of a shoulder injury.

The visitors' next training session isn't until Sunday in Bangalore.

The touring party has been given a couple of pre-arranged days off to clear their mind and rest their bodies.

Pacemen Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc delivered a combined 66 overs during the second Test.

They faced similar workloads in the recent Australian summer, but it would have come as a shock to the system after they combined for just 20 overs in the first Test.

Managing workload spikes is one of Cricket Australia's key challenges in ensuring their quicks stay on the park.

"They probably pulled up a little bit sorer than the first Test," Saker said.

"They'll have four days off and then they'll bowl."

Starc and Hazlewood conjured a scarcely-believable collapse of 4-8 in just nine deliveries on day four of the second Test. Hazlewood finished with a career-best haul of 6-67.

"They did a fantastic job. The game was slipping away and we talked about when that new ball came we had to make a pretty big impact and we did," Saker said.

"It was a pretty special spell from both Mitchell Starc and Josh.

"Josh bowled extremely well through the game."


Share

3 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world