'He’s basically out of the Ashes' - Former Australian team doctor Peter Brukner opines on Nathan Lyon's injury

Australia faced a major blow on Day 2 of the ongoing second Ashes Test at Lord's as their premier spinner, Nathan Lyon, pulled up while chasing a ball from the Grand Stand boundary in the post-tea session. Lyon, who is playing his 100th consecutive Test match, sat outside the boundary line and seemed to be in excruciating pain when the physio was checking him.

Now, Peter Brukner, a former doctor of the Australian team, noted that Lyon's calf injury could be serious enough to keep the off-spinner out of the remainder of the Ashes. This would also mean that the World Test Champions would have to play the remainder of the Lord's Test without a frontline spinner.

“He’s basically out of the Ashes, I’d think. I don’t think we’ll see him again this series. It’s a disaster. It clearly was quite a severe one from the amount of disability he had straight away. It’s probably a pretty significant injury, I’d think," the former Australian team doctor told Sydney Morning Herald.

“The likelihood is it’s a significant muscle tear of the gastrocnemius – the bulky calf muscle. That will be associated with a significant amount of bleeding,” he added.

How does this potential loss hamper Australia's bowling plans?

Nathan Lyon is one of the most impactful spinners in modern-day cricket. His ability to pick wickets in different conditions sets him apart from most other spinners. The 35-year-old bowled 13 overs on Day 2 and picked the wicket of Zak Crawley. England scored their runs on Day 2 at a run rate of 4.55. Lyon, on the other hand, gave away runs at just 2.70.

So, it is evident that Lyon's impact is irreplaceable for Australia, at least in the middle of a Test match. However, skipper Pat Cummins will have to use the resources at his disposal and try to give the English batters a good run for their money.

Travis Head bowled five overs of his part-time off-spin while Steve Smith chipped in with an over of leg-spin. Australia are luckier in the sense that they have more part-time spin-bowling options in comparison to England. Even if the Aussie part-timers don't pick up wickets like their English counterpart, Joe Root, they will at least have to stop the flow of runs, so that Cummins can persist with them and give the pacers some time to rest.

Cameron Green will also have to play an important role, bowling a few more overs than he would have if Lyon hadn't been injured. England will begin Day 2 at 278/4, trailing Australia's first innings score by 138 runs.