After signing with Lancashire for the County Championship season, Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has been told he will only be able to play half of the season.
The decision by Cricket Australia comes as they try to manage his workload ahead of the red-ball Test series against India at the end of 2024.
It is also after Cricket Australia blocked fellow Aussie Aaron Hardie's deal with Surrey - this came despite George Bailey (Chairman of Selectors for Australia) stating that CA was not the driver behind the all-rounder's decision.
"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 per ESPN Cricinfo.
"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."
George Bailey confirmed that the Australian selection panel met with the off-spinner to discuss whether a full season of county cricket in England was in his best interest.
Australia will face India in five Tests before touring Sri Lanka in late January 2025.
"When we sat down with Nathan and sort of mapped out what the next 12, 18, 24 months looked like and just what we thought and eventually what he thought was in his best interests, he was still really excited he gets that opportunity, I think he's in England until around July so he gets a great opportunity there," George Bailey added.
"It's still a really great outcome. But just that conversation of actually, every now and then lifting the player's eyes and having them have a more longer-term look at what's happening and making sure that they're absolutely right to go when the Australian matches are there.
