Australia will not get fazed by ball tampering banter thrown by England, says Nathan Lyon
BCCI
Nathan Lyon has claimed that the Australian players will have to bear the taunts thrown by England fans, following sandpaper-gate, when the two teams face off for an ODI series next month. Lyon, however, was quick to add that the English have always “given it to them” regardless of the situation.
The Australian Cricket team, in March 2018, made headlines for all the wrong reasons after Cameron Bancroft was caught by television cameras tampering the ball with sandpaper. After widespread criticism, Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, along with Bancroft, were suspended from the tour and handed long-term suspensions.
After the “leadership group” was sacked, CA decided to hand the reins of the Test side to Tim Paine, who has now been handed the responsibility of the ODI team for this series as well. Lyon expects the England fans to exploit this mishap to hurl insults at the Australian team in the upcoming series.
"I've never played in England where they haven't given it to us," Lyon said in an interview on Tuesday.
"There's no point taking some tissues out with us, we've just got to stand out there and cop it.”
Australia’s reputation in the cricketing worlds has taken a major blow following the event which took the shine of South Africa’s first ever home Test series win against the Aussies. The England Tour will be Australia’s first series following the aftermath of the events and Lyon hopes it would give the team a chance at redemption.
"It's a good chance for Australian cricket to move on and a good chance for Australian players to rebuild the trust and faith of the Australian public and earn back their respect," said Lyon.
Lyon has been selected to play against England’s left-handed batsman on their home ground as preparation for next Year’s World Cup at England.
"It's well documented that I want to play in all three formats for Australia, that's my goal," said Lyon, who has played most of his international cricket in the longest format of the game.
"To get this opportunity and be included in the squad and to head over to England, where the World Cup is being played that's going to be a massive advantage."
