Lancashire announced on Wednesday that Lyon will only be allowed to play in seven of their first nine Championship fixtures. He is due to arrive in Manchester next week, ahead of their opening match against defending champions Surrey on April 5, and he will be available until their match against Nottinghamshire on July 3.
“Naturally, we are disappointed that Nathan will no longer be joining us for the full 2024 season,” Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket, said. “However, we are still incredibly excited to be able to welcome him for seven matches in the Vitality County Championship.
“After speaking with Nathan since this decision was taken, I know that he is still really excited about joining up with us and remains very committed to Lancashire Cricket, supporting the group and helping us to achieve our goals this summer.”
“Even if Tommy had to miss out, the reality of the situation is it’s April, we’re in the UK and if it’s not going to turn as much, you’ve got arguably the best offspinner the game has seen. Tommy is going to learn a huge amount from that guy and Tommy is going to play a huge part in Lancs’ cricketing history,” Jennings said.
“You see the quality he has produced on that Test match debut… it puts myself and Benks [head coach Dale Benkenstein] in a really tough situation. When we made the signing in August or September, you can’t foresee what’s going to happen in six months’ time. You’ve got such high quality available and you try and make the best decision you can.”
Chilton said Lancashire are in talks to secure a replacement overseas player for the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup. “We are now assessing our options regarding overseas players and a number of discussions are currently taking place on that front,” he said.