Nathan Lyon was left out of the Australia XI for the second Ashes 2025/26 Test - the first instance of him missing a home Test since 2012.
Michael Neser was named as Lyon’s replacement for the Brisbane Test, with Josh Inglis coming in for the injured Usman Khawaja. This is the first time since the Perth Test against India in 2012 that Lyon is missing a home Test. Explaining the decision to drop the off-spinner, stand-in skipper Steve Smith said at the toss:
“Michael Neser is in for Nathan Lyon. Pink ball, we think it's going to offer quite a bit, particularly later on under lights. With no daylight savings here, we play in the night a lot and we thought that was going to be the best attack to take 20 wickets in this fixture.”
Smith also clarified that Travis Head will open the batting with Jake Weatherald, while Inglis will bat in the middle order.
Ricky Ponting, too, understood why Australia took the call, but still expressed surprise at Lyon’s exclusion. “This is Michael Neser’s home ground and he knows the conditions really well. But for someone like Nathan Lyon who is such a seasoned professional with a good record at the Gabba. I think it’s a massive call for the Aussies to make,” he said on 7Cricket.
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The development came as speculations about Pat Cummins’ surprise return were making the rounds, but the full-time Australia captain was kept on the sidelines for at least one more game. The hosts went in with an all-pace attack at the Gabba, while England included all-rounder Will Jacks for Mark Wood. That, however, was likely a move to add batting depth rather than to give them another spin option.
Australia XI for Brisbane Test: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Josh Inglis, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett.
How Australia fared when Nathan Lyon last missed a home Test
In the 2012 Perth Test against India, Australia picked just four full-time bowlers in Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Starc and Ben Hilfenhaus. Michael Hussey bowled two overs in the game, as their fifth bowler. The hosts went on to win by an innings and 37 runs.
Lyon had featured in the first two games of the four-game series in Melbourne and Sydney, respectively, before returning for the last game in Adelaide. Since then, he played in 69 consecutive home Tests before today.
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