#nathan_michael_lyon

Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon bagged the 500th Test wicket of his career on Sunday as he dismissed Pakistan's Faheem Ashraf in the first Test at Perth to join a 'legendary club' of just seven others to achieve the feat. The 36-year-old veteran, whose longevity is partly due to having not played international white-ball cricket since 2019, reached the milestone in his 123rd match. Among Australia, Lyon is only the third cricketer to reach the milestone, with the icons like Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563) being the others.Lyon needed to make use of the DRS to get his 500th wicket. The scenes that unfolded in the stadium after the third umpire forced the on-field umpire to change his decision, were unreal.FIVE HUNDRED! #AUSvPAK #PlayOfTheDay @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/DyDC5hUdTJ— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 17, 2023Most Test wickets in career:800 - Muttiah Muralitharan708 - Shane Warne 690 - James Anderson*619 - Anil Kumble604 - Stuart Broad563 - Glenn McGrath519 - Courtney Walsh501 - Nathan Lyon*Nathan Lyon is an All-time legend of Test cricket. pic.twitter.com/qjP4wYv5lg— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 17, 2023The 36-year-old veteran, whose longevity is partly due to having not played international white-ball cricket since 2019, reached the milestone in his 123rd match.He began the first Test in Perth on 496 wickets and was left stranded on 499 after Pakistan's first innings. But he finally reached 500 on day four by dismissing Ashraf lbw on review, with his teammates mobbing him in celebration.Lyon then bowled Aamer Jamal in the same over for his 501st.Affectionately known as "Garry" after former Australian Rules Football player Garry Lyon, he made his debut in 2011 and has best figures of 8-50, collecting 23 five-wicket hauls and 10 wickets four times so far.He told reporters before the Perth match that he wanted to continue playing at international level until Australia's next Ashes sojourn to England in 2027.But Lyon would not say how many more wickets he felt he could get."I'm not putting a number on it," he said. "I want to play cricket for as long as I can."I'm feeling really confident, really happy with where everything is at and it's just about going out there and performing now."Lyon still has a long way to go to match the exploits of fellow spin kings Muttiah Muralitharan (800) of Sri Lanka and Australia's Shane Warne (708), who head the all-time list.A classical spinner who flights the ball, the right-armer could feasibly catch West Indian great Courtney Walsh (519) during the current three-Test series.If not, the milestone should be in sight during Australia's two-Test home showdown with the West Indies that follows later in January.After that, fellow Australian Glenn McGrath on 563 would be his next target.English pair Jimmy Anderson (690) and Stuart Broad (604), along with India's Anil Kumble (619) fill out the 500-club.Long-time teammate Steve Smith praised Lyon as a hugely important member of the side."What he brings to the attack and the control and different tempos -- he can play defensive roles, he can play an attacking role and he's got all the tricks," he said ahead of the Test."He's been incredible, particularly the last three or four years."He's continually learning and trying to get better as well. He's a valuable -- if not the most valuable member in this team for our attack."With AFP inputsTopics mentioned in this article

Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin - File Photos© BCCI/SportzpicsOne of the greatest spinners Australia have produced, Nathan Lyon is all set for the Test assignment against Pakistan. The series offers Lyon a big opportunity to reach the much-anticipated landmark of 500 wickets in the longest format of the game. Ahead of the first Test in Perth, Lyon paid a rich tribute to veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, explaining how the latter has unofficially worked as 'coach' for him throughout his career. Lyon, who has often competed with Ashwin on the field, also called the India star a 'world-class bowler'.Ashwin and Lyon are among the most decorated bowlers of their generation. While Lyon is just 4 scalps short of the 500-wicket mark, Ashwin sits at 489 Test wickets at present."You look at Ashwin, he's a world-class bowler and somebody I've watched closely from the start of his career. We've gone head-to-head many times in different conditions around the world. I've got nothing but respect for Ashwin and the way he's gone about it," Lyon was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au."I've definitely learned from him. There's an opportunity to learn from the people you play against, and without knowing it he's probably been one of my biggest coaches in a way.While cricket often brings out the competitive spirit in players, Lyon is hoping to have a beer with Ashwin once the two call time on their respective careers and just talk about this beautiful journey."It's pretty amazing to see we're both creeping up to that 500 mark, and we'll see where we end up."Hopefully at the end of our career we'll sit down and have a nice feed and a beer and talk about it," he asserted.While Lyon is all set to reach the 500-wicket landmark in the coming days, Ashwin could also touch the milestone when India take on South Africa in a Test series, beginning at the end of this month.Topics mentioned in this article