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Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor has made the bold suggestion that the country’s all-time greatest spinner Nathan Lyon may be overlooked for the first Ashes Test later this month. The make up of the Australian XI for the series opener against England at Optus Stadium starting on September 21 still remains a mystery less than two weeks out. Much of the conjecture revolves around the fitness of Western Australian all-rounder Cam Green, who has bowled only four overs this summer as he comes back from serious back surgery. Should Green not be fit to bowl for the first Test, it is likely to mean Tasmanian all-rounder Beau Webster would be retained, with Green to either miss out or play solely as a top-order batter. However, Taylor suggested that Lyon could miss out if the Australian selectors want to play both Webster and Green, relying on the part-time spin of the former as well as Travis Head. Lyon was sensationally dropped from the third Test in the West Indies earlier this year despite being Australia’s all-time leading off-spin bowler. The 37-year-old is the all-time leading Test wicket-taker at the Perth venue with 29 wickets at an average of less than 21 despite the deck being renowned for it’s pace and bounce. “If Green is fit, he will play. And when I say fit, I mean fit to bowl,” Taylor said on Nine’s Wide World of Sports. “In my side, unfortunately Webster probably doesn’t play. They’ve got to get Green back into the side, but he has to bowl a few overs. Webster would be the unlucky one. “Don’t be surprised, though, Australia has already done this once this year, if someone like Nathan Lyon doesn’t play (in) the first Test. “The only other way they can go is by playing all their quicks and Webster and Green and not have an offie. “They’ve got Travis Head and Beau himself bowls a few offies. They might do that for Perth, which I don’t like particularly. I think Nathan has got to play, but don’t be surprised if that happens.” Meanwhile, Taylor has called for uncapped batter Jake Weatherald to make his debut at the top of the order in the crucial first Test. “I really hope that Jake Weatherald plays. There is a lot of discussions around whether he will open the batting or not. I really hope he does now play,” Taylor said. “I think they’ve got to start settling on an opening combination. Usman (Khawaja) is 39 in two weeks’ time, so he is not going to be playing for too much longer. “They’ve got to get that younger openers in there. Jake is not that young, mind you, he is 31. He has a few years left in him and he’s deserved his selection by scoring lots of runs in Shield cricket.”
