Offspinner Nathan Lyon admits his dumping from the first two Ashes Tests was tough to cop.

Lyon said there were no bitter feelings towards 19-year-old Ashton Agar, who took his place.

But after two years of being the side’s first-choice spinner, the 25-year-old found it difficult to take being left out of matches every Australian cricketer lives to play.

Lyon has a chance to win back his spot in the three-day tour game at Hove starting on Friday.

Agar struggled in the second Test at Lord’s and selectors might look to give the rookie a break if Lyon can prove he’s ready to go.

Playing two spinners is also a possibility.

Harshly dropped for a Test on the tour of India earlier this year as well, Lyon could have felt aggrieved missing the Ashes opener at Nottingham, given he took nine wickets in his last start for Australia.

Lyon wasn’t happy but respected and even agreed with Darren Lehmann’s reasons for playing Agar.

“It’s not easy to cop when you’re playing Test-match cricket,” he said.

“To be left out of the Australian team for an Ashes Test match is not that easy to take but that comes down to the personality of the person. I believe you still have to give for the team.

“The reason they went for Ash was to spin the ball away from the right handers and I totally understand that and to a certain degree I agree with the mindset the selectors and coach went for there.

“Darren Lehmann has been fantastic when his first come in and he’s made everything clear for everyone and he’s been real open and honest to everyone.

“I was able to sit down and have a really good chat and I know where I stand and.

“As I keep saying, I have to go out and bowl well in this game and keep bowling well training hard and keep putting my hand up for selection. That’s all I can do.”

Agar’s 98 at Trent Bridge had audiences around the world spellbound.

Outside of the English dressing room, perhaps the only person who could have been excused for not feeling all warm and fuzzy, would have been Lyon – who would have known his chances of playing the second Test had now been extinguished by Agar-mania.

But Lyon said he enjoyed Agar’s magic as much as anyone.

“I was as excited as everyone in Australia and being here on the tour with the boys to see Ashton make his debut as a 19-year-old for Australia, that’s something pretty special,” he said.

“And to see Ashton go so well there, I definitely didn’t have any bitter-sweet feelings.

“I was very excited for him and disappointed that he didn’t get that milestone of a hundred in his debut innings.

“There’s definitely no hard feelings there.”