Nathan Lyon produced a magical moment at the Adelaide Oval on Day 2 of the third Ashes Test, overtaking Australian great Glenn McGrath on the all-time Test wickets list with two wickets in his very first over of the match.
Having returned to the playing XI after missing two of Australia’s last three Tests, Lyon made an instant impact. The veteran off-spinner first had Ollie Pope caught at mid-wicket by Josh Inglis, a dismissal that brought him level with McGrath’s tally of 563 Test wickets. Just three balls later, Lyon struck again, bowling Ben Duckett with a peach of a delivery to move past McGrath and reach 564 Test wickets.
The double breakthrough left England reeling early in their first innings and marked a significant personal milestone for the 38-year-old. Lyon now sits second on Australia’s all-time Test wicket-takers list, behind only the legendary Shane Warne, who finished his career with 708 wickets.
Adelaide, a venue known to offer assistance to spinners, proved the perfect stage for Lyon’s moment of history, as he underlined his enduring value to the Australian attack with a dream start on his return.