Australia's Playing XI from the last time they played a Test without Nathan Lyon in 2013 - where are they now?
On Monday (July 3), Cricket Australia confirmed that their star off-spinner Nathan Lyon is set to miss the rest of the ongoing Ashes Test series. Lyon suffered a significant calf tear on Day 2 of the second Ashes Test at Lord's.
He was seen on the crutches the very next day but the 35-year-old took everyone by surprise when he hobbled out to bat in Australia’s second innings.
Australia will be playing a Test without Nathan Lyon after 10 long years 😵🎯
#Cricket #Australia #NathanLyon https://t.co/HXKuoEiDQp
With the third Test upon us, Australia are set to replace Lyon with another offie in Todd Murphy. The last time Australia fielded a Test side without Lyon was way back in 2013.
In this article today, we will look at Australia's playing XI from the last time they played a Test without Nathan Lyon, and where those players are now.
Openers: Shane Watson and Chris Rogers
It was the second Ashes Test at the Lord's in 2013 when Australia played a Test without Lyon. Shane Watson and Chris Rogers opened for Australia in the game. Both Watson and Rogers didn't do much in either of the innings and their opening partnerships read 42 and 24 across the two innings.
Watson, who is considered as one of the best all-rounders to ever played the game, retired from international cricket in 2016 and is currently working as an assistant coach for an IPL franchise Delhi Capitals (DC).
Rogers, meanwhile, also bid adieu to professional cricket in September 2016. He played 25 Tests for Australia and scored over 2,000 runs.
Middle-Order: Usman Khawaja, Phillip Hughes Michael Clarke (C), Steve Smith and Brad Haddin (wk)
The only two players were played in that Test and are still currently in the Australian setup are Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith. While Khawaja has seen a meteoric rise in his Test career in last two years, Smith is among the best batters of this generation.
Batted at No. 4 was Phillip Hughes, who made only two runs in the match. Incidentally, it was also his last Test match for Australia as, in a cruel twist of events, Hughes suffered a injury blow on his head in a Sheffield Shield game in 2014. He had to undergo an emergency surgery but failed to regain consciousness and was unfortunately passed away, aged only 25.
Michael Clarke captained Australia in the game and even scored a fifty in the second innings of the game. Clarke, in his illustrious career, went on to achieve plenty glory for his side both as a batter and captain.
His aggressive leadership saw Australia reach at the top of the Test rankings, with a whitewash win in the Ashes playing a big part in their rise. He hung up his boots after leading the Aussies to a remarkable ICC ODI World Cup win in 2015.
Brad Haddin kept wickets for his side in the game, but couldn't make much impression with the bat, scoring only 14 runs across the both innings. Haddin took retirement from international cricket in 2015. He is currently part of Punjab Kings (PBKS) coaching camp.
Bowlers: Ashton Agar, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris
![Ashton Agar during the 2nd Ashes Test in London in 2013 [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/07/0fb8f-16886339226865-1920.jpg)
Australia played Ashton Agar as the specialist spinner in the game against England. It was a forgettable game for the left-arm spinner as he remained wicketless and could not score more than 18 runs across the match.
While he has fallen out of favour in Tests, he is still in contention for the white-ball formats, having played his last ODI game against India earlier this year.
James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris were the three pacers in the Australian XI. While Pattinson and Siddle didn't do much in the game, Harris was the wrecker-in-chief for Australia. Harris took a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the game and also ended the five-match series as the highest wicket-taker for Australia with 24 wickets in four games.
All three of Pattinson, Siddle and Harris have retired from international cricket.