As at Lord’s in 2023, Australia were reduced to ten men by injury to Nathan Lyon, who left the field with a hamstring injury that could rule him out for the rest of the series. As then, England could not quite take advantage – all the more reason for them to rue yesterday’s self-immolations by Ben Duckett and Harry Brook, and for Australia to bless Pat Cummins’s abiding edge on Joe Root. The strain to Lyon’s right hamstring occurred without warning, in the 77th over, when Jamie Smith pulled Cameron Green to long leg. Lyon, momentarily unsighted, responded late, dived full-length to his right, made a brilliant one-handed save, but rose to his feet as though shot in the leg – he is in for a sore Christmas and, one strongly suspects, an inactive Boxing Day. His captain has hinted he might be joining him too.
