International cricket doesn't come with a different set of laws regarding ball tampering though.
And if that were true that would be the most terrifying aspect of it all....
Yeah, but it had no implication for his punishment. The sentence makes perfect sense in context.
....and yet so far from the starting XI.
The actual quote doesn't suggest being young and just starting out was taken into consideration when it came to punishment.
Yes, outrageously there's a guy with 300 Test wickets in the side right now. Shocking selection to pick him.
Lyon's been quite disappointing in the series though apart from that first test where he ripped through a few top order wickets. Would personally fly Agar over for the extra batting and superior looks.
Bancroft doesn't strike me as the sharpest knife in the draw, tbh.........but as the weakest link in the team, you are in a lesser position to say no.
If that was taken into consideration then Rabada should just have been grounded for a week with no TV....
Or even better, don't play a finger spinner.
I mean that's essentially how it worked out in the end
Yeah he hasn't been great, and that's been a big reason we've actually struggled for penetration into the middle order IMO rather than keeping the pressure on. Still, anyone questioning why Holland isn't playing instead of him has said farewell to reason a long way back on the road.
Nobody is advocating that Holland replace Lyon (despite the latter's ordinary Ashes), however, the fact the Holland was omitted for squad for so long despite being the best domestic spinner in Australia in the last several years, speaks volumes on the lack of meritocracy in the current set-up.
Was he really ahead of O'Keefe for much of that period?
Think as long as Lyon isn't linked to the ball tampering etc... his place is probably the most secure of any player in the side right now. Had a brilliant couple of years has 300 wickets and is young enough to comfortably reach 450+ and spinners usually keep improving into their 30's so he is the right age anyway. Why throw away the years of perseverance with him when he has suddenly been rewarding that.
The idea is that, once they decided that Lyon really was not going to be dropped (which took a long time!) then it became a question of what kind of 2nd spinner they wanted. O'Keefe/Lyon are more the pure frontline 2nd spinner role whereas Agar is more a spin-bowling all-rounder.
Not sure he's been ahead of O'Keefe for any of that period tbh
