Sydney: Australia off spinner Nathan Lyon has said the selectors have told him to keep working hard because they believe he can play for the national team in all formats of the game.
Left-arm tweaker Xavier Doherty and veteran Brad Hogg were preferred over Lyon for the World T20 showpiece on the subcontinent despite the off spinner’s sensational Test debut against Sri Lanka at Galle.
“I have to keep improving and keep working hard. They (selectors) just said keep working and aspiring to play all three formats and that is definitely in my book,” News.com.au quoted Lyon, as saying.
Australia’s spin options seem weak when compared with rivals ahead of the tournament opener against Ireland on Wednesday in Colombo.
Doherty has one wicket at an average of 130 in five T20 outings for Australia.
Hogg, 41, has three scalps at 50 in six games although the wrist spinner took 3/23 in Australia’s 53-run warm up victory in Colombo on Saturday.
When compared, Caribbean revelation Sunil Narine and Saeed Ajmal with 60 T20 international wickets at 15.4 will power the West Indies and Pakistan respectively while Graeme Swann is central to England’s title defence.
The 24-year-old, who stunned the cricket world by bowling South Australia to the 2010-11 Big Bash title, must bide his time with a high stakes Test series looming against South Africa.
“I can``t seem them making too many changes. Australia has a pretty strong squad. I know I have to come back and put the performances on the board with the Strikers and Redbacks if I want to be picked across three formats,” Lyon said.
ANI
First Published: Monday, September 17, 2012, 19:28