Share

Lyon ready for sandpaper taunts on England tour

Cape Town - Australia spinner Nathan Lyon is expecting to "cop a fair bit" of taunts from the English crowd when the Aussies tour England next month to play limited-overs matches.

Lyon was named in a 15-man Australia squad that will be captained by Tim Paine to play five ODIs and a one-off T20 in June.

It will Australia's first international games since the controversial tour to South Africa where they caught up in the ball-tampering scandal and the off-spinner is expecting to hear about it from the English crowd.

"I've never played in England where they (England's supporters) haven't given it to us," said Lyon.

"I'm expecting to cop a fair bit. It's good fun, it's banter, we're going to cop it, so no point taking some tissues out with us.

"We've just got to stand out there and cop it and try and really make sure our performances are really making the big key movement forward. I really enjoy the challenge."

Lyon also said the absence of world-class batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner, who have both been banned for one year, will leave a hole in the line-up but allows someone an opportunity step up to the plate.

"I know Steve will be hoping that whoever takes his spot in the Test side will hopefully go out and score a lot of runs and make it difficult for him to come back in," said Lyon.

"We all know they're world-class players but as we know there is a great opportunity for the younger players to really come out and stand up and really put their name forward."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
67% - 842 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
33% - 414 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE