Nathan Lyon snub "didn't come naturally" according to Australia's selectors

To say Lyon missing out on selection for the third and final Test against the West Indies was a shock is something of an understatement, especially considering he has been ever-present in the side since 2013.

The staggering 12-year run in the side came to an abrupt end when Australia's selectors decided conditions in Kingston called for a four-pronged pace attack and had nothing to do with his form since he took six wickets in the previous Test in Grenada.

Australia selector Tony Dodemaide revealed that Lyon had been understandably very disappointed in the decision and said it was not one the selection panel took lightly.

"It's something that wasn't front of mind, certainly a difficult [decision], but we thought the exceptional circumstances justified having the four quicks so that we could rotate those guys and keep the pressure on," Dodemaide said.

"On a well-grassed surface and a hard surface with lots of nighttime play hours, that was the best way to win the game."

The Test in Grenada is a day-night affair being played with a pink ball and Dodemaide sighted a previous pink-ball Test played in the West Indies in 2018 in which spinners did not play much of a part.

"But the key in here is it's a conditions-based decision to go with the four quicks," Dodemaide added.

"What we found here with the limited data that we have on particularly the pink Dukes ball is that it actually behaves a little differently to the Kookaburra one. It doesn't go as soft.

"The Kookaburra one tends to have a trough when it doesn't move so much in those middle overs.

"That's not the case with the Dukes one, the history tells us that, and that's been our live experience when we've been here for the past couple of days in terms of the practice sessions that we've had.

"We've seen out here in practice the last couple of days that the ball does, big ball does a lot and it's very difficult for the batters."