Nathan Lyon injured on fifth day of Adelaide Test as England hunt a miracle to keep Ashes series alive
Nathan Lyon was forced off the field in the morning session. (Getty Images: Gareth Copley)
Nathan Lyon has left the field with an apparent right hamstring injury on the fifth day of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.
Lyon, 38, chased down a ball and dived to save a ball on the boundary and pulled up short, feeling at his right leg before stepping off the ground.
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Cricket Australia said the spinner has been sent for scans to ascertain the extent of the injury and he would play no further part in the Test.
"It's a big one with the Ashes," Darren Lehmann said on ABC Sport.
"Big, I mean it's huge coming into the rest of the series. Now the result [here] becomes even bigger."
He is unlikely to bowl again in the match and, with just five days before Boxing Day, could be a doubt for the fourth Test in Melbourne, too.
After bowling just two overs in the opening Test in Perth and being left out in Brisbane, Lyon had been given plenty of work in Adelaide.
He bowled 28 overs, with 2-70 in the first innings, and had got through 25 overs in the second innings, taking 3-77.
Nathan Lyon was operating for most of the morning until he was hurt while fielding. (Getty Images: Santanu Banik/MB Media)
Lyon suffered an injury to his right calf that ended his series in the 2023 Ashes at Lord's.
It was his three-wicket burst on day four that put England on the brink of defeat, accounting for Harry Brook, Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley in the space of 20 balls.
He had gone wicketless in seven overs on the fifth day with 0-13 as England pair Jamie Smith and Will Jacks edged towards the most unlikely of victories.
Lyon's injury added to a list of potential issues facing the Aussies as the English edged their way towards the nominal target of 435, which would be the highest successful run chase in history.
Lyon dove in the field and got up clutching at his right hamstring. (Getty Images: Gareth Copley)
Mitch Starc received two warnings for running on the pitch on day four. If he is warned again, he will be removed from the attack and unable to bowl.
There are questions over the fitness of returning skipper Pat Cummins too as he recovers from a back injury.
But the skipper did take the new ball alongside Starc, assisting in claiming the valuable scalp of Smith.
The wicketkeeper departed after a dastardly swipe across the line off Starc, with Cummins catching him at wide mid on.
If Lyon is unable to play in Melbourne, his spot could be filled by Victorian off spinner Todd Murphy.
He took 2-7 and 1-57 against England Lions at Allan Border Field and has taken 10 wickets at 23.70 in his four Shield matches this season.
Other options include Western Australian offy Corey Rocchiccioli, who has taken 20 at 28.20 in his six Shield matches this year, or Queensland legspinner Mitch Swepson (21 wickets at 36.04 this season).
Travis Head has bowled 12 overs, 0-45 with his part-time spin bowling in the second innings, while Marnus Labuschagne also bowled a single over of leg spin on Sunday.
It was arguably the loss of Lyon that helped England launch its recovery in the 2023 series, going from 2-0 down to salvaging a 2-2 draw on home soil.
Lyon, who passed Glenn McGrath in Adelaide to become Australian cricket's second-top wicket-taker, is playing in his 141st Test match, having made his debut against Sri Lanka in 2011, in a team captained by Michael Clarke.