Nathan Lyon has etched his name even deeper into Australian cricket history, becoming the second-highest wicket-taker in the nation’s Test record after a decisive spell on day two of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.
Recalled to the XI after missing the Brisbane Test, Lyon wasted no time in making his presence felt. The off-spinner struck early to dismiss Ollie Pope for three, drawing level with Glenn McGrath on 563 Test wickets and signalling his intent on a surface offering little assistance.
Moments later, Lyon went one better. Bowling from around the wicket, he beat Ben Duckett’s forward prod to clip the top of off stump, moving past McGrath to 564 wickets and claiming outright second place on Australia’s all-time list.
That tally also lifts Lyon to sixth on the overall Test wicket-taking charts, with the legendary Shane Warne the only Australian ahead of him, having finished with 708 scalps.
Lyon’s double strike disrupted what had looked like a composed start from England. After dismissing Australia for 371 on a flat track, the tourists had reached 41 for one before losing momentum to the off-spinner’s timely intervention.
Since making his Test debut in Galle in 2011 — memorably removing Kumar Sangakkara with his first delivery — Lyon has built a career defined by consistency and longevity. Now 38, the former Adelaide Oval curator has turned his old workplace into a personal stronghold, holding the record for most Test wickets at the venue with 65.
By stumps on day two, England were still trailing by 158 runs, though an unbroken 45-run partnership between Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer offered some resistance and trimmed Australia’s lead as the contest remained finely poised.
