New Delhi, Dec 4 (NationPress) Australia's seasoned off-spinner Nathan Lyon expressed he felt “absolutely filthy” after learning he would not participate in the second Test. Lyon disclosed that upon arriving at the venue at 12 pm (local time), he was informed just 30 minutes later about his exclusion.

In a daring selection move, Australia made two adjustments to the lineup that triumphed in Perth, bringing in Michael Neser to take Lyon’s place and Josh Inglis as a substitute for the injured opener Usman Khawaja. Neser joins Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, and all-rounder Cameron Green, forming an all-pace attack for the Gabba Test.

However, selection chief George Bailey had earlier stated that this was “very much a one-Test decision”, assuring Lyon's place in the third match against England in Adelaide.

Bailey noted, “Nathan will disagree with the decision, and that’s perfectly okay. I think he disagreed with the decision in Jamaica, and that’s perfectly okay.”

In a brief conversation with Bailey, Lyon told Channel 7 it was “short”. He added, “Absolutely filthy, but yeah, can’t do anything about it. Hope I can play my role in making sure I get the guys ready and do whatever I can to make sure that we get the right result here.”

On the reasons for his omission, Lyon mentioned, “To be honest, I hadn’t really sat down with Ronnie or George yet. I’m letting things settle down in my own head and trying to make sure that I’m, as I said, doing whatever I can to make sure the guys out in the middle representing Australia do the right thing and get the right result for us.”

Lyon, who was also excluded from Australia’s previous day-night Test against the West Indies in July, boasts a solid record at the Gabba, achieving 52 wickets at just under 29, and holding 43 wickets at 25.63 with the pink ball.

“It’s no secret it’s a place where I absolutely love playing cricket, and I feel like I’ve got a decent record here, get a lot of bounce there. I felt like the wicket was going to offer a bit of bounce for myself, but I’d like to see what Jacks does,” Lyon remarked.

He also mentioned his limited viewing of the action on Thursday: “Yeah, I’m not a great watcher, if I’m being honest. I don’t know how many balls I’ve watched.”

The spinner emphasized the importance of communication, stating he “will speak to the coaching staff when he’s ready.”

This marks the first time Lyon has been left out of a home Test since 2012, with the team also missing captain Pat Cummins for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.

“I’m not the first player to miss a Test match, and I won’t be the last. But yeah, obviously pretty gutted because I know the role that I can play within Australian cricket, and especially a venue like this. Extremely disappointed, but I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure these guys are up,” he concluded.