Will Australia uncage the Lyon at the Gabba?

Nathan Lyon's heavy pink-ball workload could make him indispensable for the Gabba Test, with data showing only day-night king Mitchell Starc has bowled more balls in the format.

Speculation continues to swirl over Lyon's spot in Australia's bowling attack for the second Ashes Test, after he was dropped for the team's last pink-ball Test in the West Indies.

Coach Andrew McDonald indicated after Australia's series-opening win, in which Lyon was only required for two overs, that Brisbane conditions could dictate the make-up of the team's attack.

England's batting order buckled facing Australia's pacemen in Perth and it has traditionally also been the quicks who have thrived under lights in home pink-ball Tests.

No-one is better than Starc with pink lacquer on the ball, with his 81 wickets at 17.08 almost double any other player.

But often forgotten is that Lyon does still sit equal-second on that list, with both he and Pat Cummins having taken 43 wickets in day-night Tests.

Omitting Lyon, for just the second time in home conditions since his debut in 2011, would give Australia a chance to play another pace-bowling allrounder in Beau Webster.

Alternatively, it could clear the way for Australia to play a fourth frontline quick should injured captain Cummins make an unconventional late dash into the XI.

Former Test spinner Stuart MacGill has been among those to question whether Lyon should be picked in Brisbane if quicks are likely to take on the bulk of overs.

Lyon bowled just one over across last summer's day-night win over India in Adelaide and the last day-night Ashes Test in 2022.

But statistics reveal there have been circumstances when Lyon has been vital to Australia's attack under lights.

Of all world cricketers, only Starc (450.3) has bowled more overs than Lyon (427.5) in pink-ball Tests.

And given Starc has played one extra Test, Lyon in fact averages the heaviest workload per match for any player who has featured in five or more pink-ball Tests.

In his last day-night match at the Gabba, the infamous upset loss to West Indies in early 2024, Lyon bowled more overs than any other player on either side.

His match figures (5-123) were even marginally better than Starc's (5-127).

Playing Lyon at the Gabba would also help ease workload on Starc and Scott Boland, who are aged 35 and 36 respectively, should the Test run longer than the two days of the series opener.

"If you look at Australian pink ball cricket in general terms, the middle sessions have been quite benign, and Nathan's done a lot of work there," McDonald said on Monday.

"So to jump to the conclusion that you would automatically assume that it's just going to be another bowler-dominated game, we can't make those assumptions.

"We felt as though, in the Perth Test, if that game had been elongated, the spinner would have come into the Test. It wasn't to be."

McDonald has long suggested leaving Lyon out in Jamaica earlier this year, to allow Boland to play as a fourth quick, was done in extremely rare circumstances.

"The conditions in the West Indies, we're on the record around saying it was compelling to leave Nathan out," he said.

"It's not something that we like doing. It's not the starting point for anything."

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: December 4-8, The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N), 3pm AEDT

Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval, 10:30am AEDT

Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10:30am AEDT

Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10:30am AEDT

Australia squad (second Test only): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood