Lyons' 'inspirational' return from Lord transcends Ashes rivalry

Historic all-abilities match brings star player back to the Home of Cricket for the first time since being hampered during last year's Test series

Given his painful experience at that venue just a year earlier, Nathan Lyon could be forgiven if he was reluctant to return to Lord's.

But when he signed to play for English county Lancashire in the north this summer, one of the biggest perks of the deal was the chance to take part in the first historic all-abilities matches to be held at the Home of Cricket.

Lyon was a guest, along with England Test keeper Ben Foakes and UK-based Australian comedian Adam Hills, when Lord's hosted a 10-over exhibition match for visually impaired players on Monday, followed by a 40-over match for disabled players.

As Cricket Australia’s national ambassador for cricketers with disabilities, Lyon has spent significant time over the past decade coaching, supporting and teaching participants with hearing, vision and learning disabilities.

However, it was the involvement of players with physical disabilities, such as amputees, that struck him during the day he spent at Lord's, where the rivalry surrounding the Ashes was (largely) put aside.

“I was interested to see the differences in the way the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) run their disabled cricket and see if there was anything we could possibly take back to California to improve the program for all levels back home,” Lyon told cricket.com.au from London.

“It's pretty much the same in most areas, but England focuses on one area that it's really good at and that's the physically disabled, like amputees, and involving them.

“The match on Monday was played by teams with learning, hearing and physical disabilities. It was very special to see the first match of its kind played on the grass pitch at Lord's.

“When I first signed for Lancashire, this day was talked about. Although I played my last game here three weeks ago, I wanted to make sure I stayed because the opportunity to come to Lord's for this occasion was too good to pass up.

“It was just a great opportunity to come along and learn, and hopefully inspire some boys and girls to play the game as well, because it really is a game for everyone.

“I think we can all learn so much from everyday things we take for granted, whether it's crossing the road, driving a car or walking down the stairs.

“It is therefore very inspiring and satisfying to be part of an event like this. I enjoy it immensely.”

Lyon's reference to the challenges many people face simply descending a flight of stairs is particularly poignant given the enduring images of his earlier visit to Lord's for the second Ashes Test last year.

Lyon suffered a serious calf injury while fielding on the second day. Ignoring the advice of his wife Emma and teammates, including captain Pat Cummins, he struggled from the Australia dressing room to the batting position, where he and Mitchell Starc scored a valuable 15 runs.

Australia won the match by 43 runs, with Alex Carey beating England's Jonny Bairstow with a stump to send the crowd in the Lord's Grandstand into raptures on day five. Lyon admits the reception he received at the stadium yesterday was far less hostile than a year earlier.

While England's team of blind and partially sighted athletes led by Edward Hossell embark on their own Ashes adventure in Australia next November for a multi-format series in Queensland, Lyon, on the other hand, were grilled on more topical issues.

“They tried to find out everything about (Australian star players) Oscar (Stubbs) and Stef (Nero), and also a few other guys I know back home, but I didn't give away any secrets,” Lyon said.

“There were also a few people who gave me quite direct advice, especially from the learning disabled people. I just told them to make sure they stayed in their shell and that got a few laughs.

“It was nice to be back at Lord's for the first time since the Ashes.

“It's a great place to visit and I'm always happy to have lunch there, but it was even nicer to be able to walk around the grounds without crutches at the end of the day.”

In addition to practising with blind and partially sighted players in the Nursery Nets area and attending the match between a Marylebone Cricket Club XI and an England and Wales Cricket Board Chair's XI, Lyon was also introduced to table cricket in the famous Long Room.

This version is similar to the much loved board game Test Match, but played on a larger scale. Each side has three fielders who move plastic panels along the fence to try and intercept scoring shots.

They can also execute a strike if the ball comes into contact with the red center of the panels, while bowlers can employ various forms of swing to deceive a batter wielding a miniature bat, such as those sold in souvenir shops.

“Table cricket was new to me,” said Lyon, who returns to Australia later this week.

“I've tried it and it's kind of like air hockey, but with a ping pong ball that has ball bearings in it so you can swing it and have a few other things handy when you go bowling.

“It's really cool. They also take it to nursing homes and let people with dementia and other similar conditions play it. In the UK it's a huge success.

“Many of the children with learning disabilities we played with on Monday loved it.

“Also, there is a rule called 'ballistic hitting'. You can't hit the ball too hard. A few people got a warning for that, which I found very interesting.

“As a bowler I thought maybe this is something we might need in T20 cricket.”