Nathan Lyon Throws Ball On AB de Villiers After Running Him Out
Australia offspinner Nathan Lyon has been charged by match referee for his actions during the run out of South Africa’s AB de Villiers on Day 4 of their first Test in Durban. The first Test match between Australia and South Africa has already seen some heated moments which was expected at the start of the series.
The visitors have continued to dominate in the rainbow nation and won the game by 118 runs. De Villiers’ was run-out for a duck at the non-striker’s end with Lyon removing the bails and then subsequently dropping the ball near the South African who had made an unsuccessful diving attempt to make his ground. The ball grazed de Villiers’ chest.
The incident occurred on the last ball of the 12th over, during South Africa’s chase of 417, with De Villiers and Aiden Markram at the crease. Markram turned the delivery to the leg side, but turned his back on the non-striker, refusing a single. As the ball reached David Warner, De Villiers turned around and tried to make his way to safety, but his full-stretched dive couldn’t beat Warner’s throw to Lyon at the bowler’s end.
As De Villiers lay on the ground, Lyon, who had dismantled the stumps, dropped the ball on the South African and left off to celebrate. Warner yelled ferociously in Markam’s direction as he celebrated the wicket.
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— Karan Arjun (@KaranArjunSm) March 5, 2018
Pure cheek from Nathan Lyon ???????????? #SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/vhuM4tgOHQ
— Josh Money (@JoshMoneyFOX) March 4, 2018
This is yet another example of how Australian cricketers tend to cross boundaries in the garb of ‘playing tough cricket’. Hope the ICC has a good look at what happened in Durban on Sunday and Lyon faces strict punishment for his despicable act.
He was charged with Level 1 offense by the match referee Jeff Crowe and the off-spinner accepted the charge even apologizing to AB De Villiers about the same.
The match referee will have his task cut out after the game as reportedly Quinton de Kock and David Warner were involved in an altercation and the things went ugly in the tunnel when the players were going off after the second session of Day-4 of the Test match.