Nathan Lyon Joins Unique List After 500th Test Wicket In AUS vs PAK 1st Test

Nathan Lyon on Sunday (December 17) joined a unique club as the Australian spinner became the eight bowler in Test history to claim 500 wickets during day 4 of the first Test against Pakistan at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia.

The 36-year-old Lyon completed his feat with the wicket of Faheem Ashraf. The Pakistani bowling all-rounder was initially judged not out by the onfield umpire, but after a successful review, the veteran spinner ended wait for his 500th wicket in Test cricket.

The seasoned spinner, who started the Test with 496 wickets, did not have to wait longer for his 501st wicket, which he picked in the same over as he castled Aamer Jamal just three deliveries after dismissing Ashraf. Lyon reached the feat in his 123rd Test.

With this, Lyon became the third Australian to achieve the landmark after Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. He is also only the eight cricketer to get to the milestone and the fourth spinner to achieve the feat. Here is a look at the top wicket-takers in Test history

Top 10 Highest Test Wicket-Takers

Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) - 800 wickets in 133 Tests
Shane Warne (Australia) - 707 wickets in 145 Tests
James Anderson (England) - 690 wickets in 183 Tests
Anil Kumble (India) - 619 wickets in 132 Tests
Stuart Broad (England) - 604 wickets in 167 Tests
Glenn McGrath (Australia) - 563 wickets in 124 Tests
Courtney Walsh (West Indies) - 519 wickets in 132 Tests
Nathan Lyon (Australia) - 501 wickets in 123 Tests
Ravichandran Ashwin (India) - 489 wickets in 94 Tests
Dale Steyn (South Africa) - 439 wickets in 93 Tests

Coming back to the Test, Australia registered a 360-run victory over Pakistan to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. While Lyon claimed five wickets in the match, the pacers combined to clean up the Pakistan batting line up.

Opting to bat first, Australia rode on David Warner's 164 and Mitchell Marsh's 90 to score 487 before bowling out Pakistan for 271 to take a 216-run lead in the first innings.

In the second innings, Usman Khawaja scored 90 and Marsh scored an unbeaten 68 as Australia declared at 233 for 5, setting a target of 450 for Pakistan, who were bundled out for 89 in their run chase.

Mitchell Star (3 for 31), Josh Hazlewood (3 for 13), Pat Cummins (1 for 11) and Lyon (2 for 18) were the wicket-takers for the hosts in the second innings.