Nathan Lyon suffers mild concussion, hopeful for New South Wales’ opening Sheffield Shield game

10/20/2021

Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon suffered a minor concussion while fielding during New South Wales’ intrasquad match in Sydney on Tuesday. The 33-year-old is expected to be available for NSW’s first match of the Sheffield Shield 2021-22 against Victoria at Drummoyne Oval, beginning October 27.

Nathan Lyon knocked his head, while fielding during New South Wales’ intrasquad game at Hurstville Oval, which began on Tuesday. The off-spinner is said to have woken up with a headache on Wednesday morning and has withdrawn from the rest of the game as a precautionary measure. He returned 1/79 from the 20 overs he bowled.

Nathan Lyon’s last competitive appearance dates back to January - the Brisbane Test against India, which also happened to be his 100th match in the format. The 33-year-old is currently one short of becoming the second Australian spinner to 400 Test wickets, after Shane Warne. Recently, he had expressed his disappointment over not being considered for a T20 World Cup squad selection, and that he was eager to get on the field.

Last week, young top-order Will Pucovski too suffered a concussion after a head knock during a practice session in Victoria last week. There is no confirmation on the 23-year-old’s availability for Victoria ahead of the season yet.

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia has released the next set of Sheffield Shield and Marsh One Day-Cup fixtures, beginning October 25. The development comes with the New South Wales and Victoria border opening on Wednesday.

Marsh Sheffield Shield fixtures

Oct 27-30: Western Australia vs South Australia - WACA Ground

Oct 27-30: Queensland vs Tasmania - Riverway Stadium, Townsville

Oct 27-30: New South Wales vs Victoria - Drummoyne Oval

Nov 5-8: Victoria vs New South Wales - Melbourne Cricket Ground

Nov 10-13: Queensland vs Western Australia - Gabba

Nov 10-13: Tasmania vs South Australia - Blundstone Arena

Marsh One-Day Cup fixtures

Oct 25: Western Australia vs South Australia - WACA Ground

Nov 1: Queensland vs Tasmania - Riverway Stadium, Townsville

Nov 12: Victoria vs New South Wales - MCG (Day/Night)

Nov 15: Queensland vs Western Australia - Gabba (Day/Night)