Veteran Australia Test spinner Nathan Lyon said that former skipper Tim Paine must be added to the playing eleven in the opening Test of the upcoming Ashes series next month. Lyon also stated that Paine is the best wicket-keeper in the world.

However, Tim Paine was recently engaged in an off-field scandal that saw him quit the Test captaincy. Despite recent events, he said that Paine has full backing from the teammates as well. Lyon also added that Paine admitting to his past mistakes was courageous too. He feels that the 36-year-old deserves to play in the match against England at the Gabba as he is still a fantastic keeper too.

Here’s what he said: “In my eyes, Tim is the best gloveman in the country, in the world. I can 100 per cent guarantee he has the full support of the Australian changeroom. I don’t see him as a distraction at all. Come the Gabba Test match and throughout the whole series, we are professional sportspeople and we will go out and do our job.”

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The much-awaited Ashes series between Australia and England is scheduled to begin on December 8. Nathan Lyon, who is the most experienced player in the current team, urged the selectors to consider Tim Paine for the first match as well. Moreover, as per the Australian media, Cricket Australia recently interviewed Pat Cummins and Steve Smith for the roles of Test captain and vice-captain respectively.

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Speaking on that, Lyon mentioned that he was excited seeing a bowler is likely captaining the side as well. He said: “I am excited by the fact we are potentially going to have a bowler as captain.”

Natan Lyon also said that the new partnership could prove to be beneficial for the team. “You have a bowler’s mindset and a batter’s mindset rather than two batters; they can come together and really come up with some good guidance,” Lyon concluded.