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Lyon opens up on World Cup hopes

Veteran off-spinner still wants to feature in the 50-over showpiece next year

Nathan Lyon is hopeful he'll still feature in next year's one-day World Cup for Australia despite not facing South Africa in the Gillette ODI Series this summer.

Lyon has been considered Australia's premier Test spinning option for seven years now, but has played just 15 one-day internationals in that time.

He played two ODIs against England earlier this year, but that's his only two 50-over matches for Australia since the winter of 2016.

Proteas take out series after record stand

However, he said he'd spoken to selectors before missing Australia's 2-1 series loss to the Proteas and was put back in JLT Sheffield Shield cricket as a better preparation for the upcoming Test summer against India and Sri Lanka.

"Definitely," he said when asked if he was still eying next year's World Cup.

"I had a really good chat to the selectors about the ODI stuff and the T20 stuff as well.

"I know where I sit with the white-ball cricket and I had a big focus on this Test series, we know how big it is playing against the best guys in the world and the best side in the world.

"It's just like Mitchell Marsh doing the same thing making sure he is getting some runs.

"I'm just making sure that we're ready to go come Test cricket, and I'm getting enough overs under my belt."

Marsh's big statement against the Bulls

While Australia's front-line fast-bowling stocks are fit and firing for the World Cup in England, the spinning options are far less clear.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa continues to come in and out of the Australian side and took no wickets in his two matches against the Proteas over the weekend and just two in six matches this year.

Lyon has also faced his challenges with the white ball, having taken 18 wickets at 36.77 in ODIs since debuting in 2012.

Ashton Agar has also been used this year, while Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell have both been used as spinning options when Australia have taken a pace-only attack into matches.

Australia have won just three of their past 21 completed one-dayers, but still have 13 more ODIs to play before next year's World Cup.

Gillette T20s v South Africa and India

Gillette T20s v South Africa 

November 17Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast

Gillette T20s v India

November 21: The Gabba

November 23: MCG

November 25: SCG

Australia T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

South Africa T20 squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi.

India T20 squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed.