Nathan Lyon. (Photo Sourcer: X(Twitter)
Australian spin wizard Nathan Lyon toppled former West Indies cricketer Courtney Walsh to become the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history. The 36-year-old now has 521 wickets to his name, surpassing Walsh’s 519. He is currently behind fellow Australian Glenn McGrath, who stands sixth on the list with 563 scalps to his name in red-ball internationals.
Notably, Lyon picked up a four-for in the first Test against New Zealand at Basin Reserve in Wellington to achieve this feat. He picked up the wickets of Tom Blundell, Scott Kuggeleijn, Matt Henry and Tim Southee as the Kiwis were bundled out for 179 runs in the first innings. With that, Australia took a lead of 204 runs in the first innings and are in firm control of the match.
Meanwhile, Lyon began his Test career against Sri Lanka in 2011. Slowly, he became a regular in the national team and eventually, turned out to be a legend of the game. He has represented Australia in 128 matches in his career and bowled at an average of 30.73. In terms of wickets, only Muttiah Muralidaran (800) and Shane Warne (708) have better numbers than him in Test cricket.
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Ahead of the ongoing match against New Zealand, Lyon bowled 32,440 balls while donning the Australian whites, which speaks volumes of remarkable endurance, grit and most importantly, his desire to play the longest format of the game. Interestingly, the off-spinner has never bowled a no-ball in his career, which remains to be a unique feat.
When it comes to the match, Cameron Green (174*) hit a terrific century, which helped Australia post 383 runs in the first innings. The visitors had some trouble with the bat in the initial phase, but Green maintained his composure to help the team get out of the trouble. Josh Hazlewood supported him towards the fag end as their partnership of 116 runs put pressure on the hosts.
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The Kiwis, on the other hand, had a horrid time with the bat. Barring Glenn Phillips, all the batters seemed to be under pressure as they were bundled for just 179 runs in the first innings.