Lyon disappointed not to be ‘heading over to Bangladesh’

Australia spinner Nathan Lyon said that he was disappointed not to be heading over to Bangladesh with the rest of the Australia squad after the two-match Test series was postponed due to the threat of coronavirus.

Australia were scheduled to visit Bangladesh in the first week of June this year to play two Tests on June 11 and June 23 in Chattogram and Dhaka respectively. The postponement of the series was agreed upon by both the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the CA (Cricket Australia) and the two boards will now work together to reschedule the series. With global sports coming to a halt due to coronavirus, the ICC Test Championship schedule is set to suffer serious scheduling issues with the final of the tournament slated for June 2021.

Lyon eclipsed a 130-year-old record during his last visit to Bangladesh, clinching 19 wickets -- the most by an Australia spinner in a two-Test series – to deny the Tigers their first-ever series win against the Aussies. The series ended 1-1 with Bangladesh winning the first Test at Dhaka and Australia coming back to win the second Test at Chattogram.

"Obviously it's disappointing to not be heading over to Bangladesh. That was going to be a massive challenge for the team," Lyon was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. "It's a place where I get personally challenged as well, and somewhere I enjoy playing my cricket. Regarding the scheduling, no doubt the ICC and Cricket Australia and all the big bosses will do everything they can to make sure we're getting back and playing cricket.

Lyon was keen for his side to do well in the ICC Test Championship and in that regard, every Test series is crucial. Australia are currently second placed in the tournament with 296 points, having played three Test series, sitting behind India on 360 points.