Ricky Ponting DEFENDS Kevin Pietersen over controversial concussion side comments after injured Nathan Lyon criticized former England great
Ricky Ponting clarified that Kevin Pietersen did not suggest that Nathan Lyon came out to bat injured only to be hit on the head and allow Australia to bring in a concussion substitute.
The spinner from Australia tore a right calf muscle on Day 2 but rose bravely on Saturday, limping to half-back to bat at number 11 and managed to finish off four from 13 balls as the tourists were bowled out for 279 in their second entry.
‘Believe [taking] time out of the game and also scoring every run,” Pietersen said on the Sky Sports broadcast about why Lyon limped to bat.
‘[But] imagine if he [Lyon] Had he been hit in the head and suffered a concussion, he would have had a similar replacement and a world-class caster wheel. [Todd Murphy] … sobering.’
If Lyon had been hit in the head while batting and went into concussion, due to ICC laws, he could have been substituted with a similar replacement, meaning spinner Todd Murphy could have come on and pitched in the fourth inning.
Ricky Ponting clarified the comments Kevin Pietersen made about Nathan Lyon on day four
Lyon came out to bat on the fourth day despite suffering a severe calf strain.
However, speaking earlier on Day 5, Ponting clarified the comments.
“I wanted to clarify some comments that were made yesterday in the comment box,” he said.
“When Nathan Lyon came out to bat, Kevin Pietersen was talking about the potential of Nathan Lyon getting hit in the head and what that would mean as far as a concussion.”
The former Australian captain went on to explain that the commentary team felt that Lyon’s replacement with Murphy would represent the “worst case scenario” for England, rather than the “best case scenario” for Australia.
“In no way did any of us say it would be nice to see Nathan Lyon get hit in the head,” he said.
‘In fact, it was quite the opposite.
“The worst case scenario for England was if they continued to bowl and Nathan got hit [in the head].
“I just wanted to clear that up, because there’s been some negative talk this morning, which has probably been a little unfair.
Pietersen questioned the wisdom of Australia’s decision to send Lyon to bat
The sidelined veteran could barely walk but fought valiantly for 13 balls.
Ponting (right) was seen speaking with Lyon at Lord’s ahead of the fourth day of play.
And actually I think there was some talk at the back of the comment box about worst case scenario for England not best case scenario for Australia.
“No way, no way would anyone expect to see someone get hit on the head.”
Pietersen shared a clip of the explanation on Twitter, captioning the video with “clarified by Ricky Ponting.”
A clearly emotional Lyon were unimpressed after the match upon hearing Pietersen’s comments.
“I heard comments that people thought I went out to get hit in the head, and I’m really against that because I lost one of my teammates to a hit in the head,” he said, referring to the tragic death of the late Philip Hughes.
“So I think it’s a really bad excuse or conversation.”
Lyon were only yards away from Hughes on 25 November 2014, when he was brought down by a Sean Abbott goalkeeper while playing for South Australia against NSW in a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.
He collapsed onto the grass and never regained consciousness, with the popular star dying in front of his teammates. Lyon and David Warner were two of the first players to reach out to him, before he died in hospital.
