Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon etched his name deeper into the record books on Day 2 of the third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval, overtaking Glenn McGrath to become Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. The milestone came during England’s first innings when Lyon struck twice in the same over, first removing Ollie Pope for three and then dismissing Ben Duckett to move past McGrath’s long-standing mark.
Lyon now has 564 wickets from 141 Tests at an average of 30.09, with best figures of 8 for 50. His tally includes 26 four-wicket innings, 24 five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket match hauls. McGrath finished his career with 562 wickets from 124 Tests at an average of 21.64. Shane Warne remains Australia’s leading Test wicket-taker with 708 scalps from 145 matches. The off-spinner also climbed to sixth place on the list of highest wicket-takers in international cricket. After the day’s play, Lyon spoke about the significance of the achievement and the emotions attached to it. “I grew up idolising Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. These guys were my childhood heroes. To be able to go past or even equal Glenn is pretty humbling, to be honest. It’s something I’ll look back on at the end of my career, or even tonight, and sit back and try to have a moment because it’s extremely special for me,” Lyon said. He also highlighted the role of his teammates in reaching the landmark. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the guys at the other end and my teammates. It’s an extremely humbling and extremely proud moment for me as well,” Lyon added.
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