Nathan Lyon ruled OUT of the rest of the Ashes series after calf tear

Nathan Lyon has been ruled out of remainder of the Ashes series after suffering a significant calf injury.

The veteran spinner suffered the injury on day two of the second Test at Lord’s last week. 

Despite being seen on crutches in recent days, Lyon defied logic by hobbling out to the crease to score runs for his side at the weekend.

That however will be the last part he plays at the Ashes, after Cricket Australia announced the severity of the injury on Monday morning.

He does however leave Australia in a commanding position, as their victory on Sunday means they hold a 2-0 lead over England.  

Nathan Lyon (right) has been ruled out of the Ashes series with a significant calf tear

Lyon suffered the injury on day two of the second Test and needed help off the pitch

He valiantly returned to the field and made runs for his team at the weekend despite struggle to run

The injury happened when Lyon, fielding on the boundary, pulled up while running in to stop the ball.

Lyon, who has missed only four of the 125 Tests Australia have played since his debut in August 2011, then disconsolately walked off the field alongside a team doctor. 

Despite being seen on crutches after suffering the injury, the 35-year-old miraculously returned to the crease on Saturday – receiving a standing ovation at the Home of Cricket. 

He struck the ball well during his brave 13-ball innings but, given the severity of his injury, was unable to run between wickets. 

Sky Sports commentator Andrew Strauss questioned the rationale behind the decision to send him out to face England’s short-bowling onslaught.

‘I’m finding this hard to watch,’ he said. ‘This isn’t a good advertisement for Test cricket.’

Despite the fact Lyon was clearly compromised on his right leg, England’s bowlers continued to bowl short at the veteran, and eventually the Australian punished Stuart Broad by hitting him four.

Lyon’s time at the crease came to a close shortly thereafter, when he skied a Broad delivery into Ben Stokes’ hands to conclude the Australian innings.

Australia will miss their veteran spinner, though they do hold a comfortable 2-0 advantage

His absence will be a tough one for Australia to take, though they hold a comfortable 2-0 lead in the series.

On Sunday, they beat England by 43 runs after a dramatic final day, in which the major talking point was the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow before lunch.

Bairstow dismissal – out of his crease believing the ball to be dead as Alex Carey’s expedient underarm threw down his stumps – overshadowed Australia’s win.

It led to Ben Stokes accusing Australia of forgetting the ‘spirit of the game’ , Stuart Broad lashing out at Carey while Lord’s suspended three MCC members after Australia stars Usman Khawaja and David Warner were confronted and accused of cheating.