Injured Nathan Lyon out for 2-3 weeks

The off-spinner Nathan Lyon is expected to miss at least the next two Sheffield Shield matches for South Australia due to a thigh injury. Lyon carried the problem through the Test series against India and he was still able to perform well enough to take four wickets in the final innings in Adelaide, but Cricket Australia's medical staff want him to rest and allow the injury to heal.

"Nathan Lyon has been carrying a right thigh muscle strain for the majority of the Test series against India," Australia's physio Alex Kountouris said. "This injury has gradually become worse throughout the course of the series and has come to a point where he needs a break to allow it to heal. He will undergo a rehabilitation program and we anticipate his return to cricket in the next two to three weeks."

Lyon took seven wickets - five of which came in the last Test - at an average of 41.57 against India and he is expected to play an important role in April's Test tour of the Caribbean, where the wickets are often slow. The injury meant he was unavailable for selection in Australia's one-day squad, but he was unlikely to be chosen anyway, with Xavier Doherty the preferred spinner in the short format.

He was also ruled out of Friday's Prime Minister's XI match against Sri Lanka in Canberra, where he was replaced by the Queensland legspinner Cameron Boyce. He would have missed the Redbacks next Shield match due to the PM's XI contest, but is now likely to miss the following Shield match as well, against Victoria starting on February 13.