Nathan Lyon has pledged his full support to under-fire wicket-keeper Tim Paine, saying he would like to see the former skipper keep his Ashes spot.
Fronting the media today, Lyon said Paine had made a mistake in the past, but had showed “great courage” in owning his actions.
“He’s got my full support and I one-hundred per cent guarantee he’s got the full support of the Australian changeroom,” he said.
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Speaking to Paine’s undecided selection for the first Test in Brisbane, Lyon was confident the keeper-batter would be selected.
“The selectors said that we were going to pick the best available 11 and in my eyes, Tim Paine is the best keeper in the world,” he said.
“I want him. This is very selfish from a bowler’s point of view. I want the best gloveman behind the stumps…”
When asked if the sexting scandal could act as a distraction through the first Test and beyond, Lyon said the Australian squad had largely been unfazed by any reaction.
“I don’t see it as a distraction at all. At the end of the day, we are professional athletes, we know what we’ve got to do and how we’ve got to go about it,” he said.
That comment came after former Australia captain Ricky Ponting told cricket.com.au that the drama was “not going to go away”.
Glowing in his appraisal of the “best gloveman in the country”, Lyon linked Paine’s talent to the distinctive sound of his mitts.
“Everyone will say ‘look at his movement around catching the ball’, etcetera, but I go off the sound of the gloves when he actually catches the ball,” Lyon said.
“If you look at the best keepers in the world and you actually listen to the sound of the ball as it goes into the gloves, I think you can tell that someone’s a decent keeper.
“It’s music to my ears.”
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