Nathan Lyon joins special club with 500 Test wickets

Lyon joins Muttiah Muralitharan, countryman Shane Warne and Anil Kumble as the fourth spinner in the 500 Club, while he becomes the third Australian – after Warne and Glenn McGrath – to hit the number

Nathan Lyon has become just the eighth man to the landmark of 500 Test wickets, trapping Faheem Ashraf in front to reach the milestone.

He had Ashraf dismissed via a successful review as Australia crushed Pakistan in Perth, with the result almost secondary to a remarkable achievement for a traditional finger-spinner.

Lyon, who has signed for Lancashire for next summer, joins Muttiah Muralitharan, countryman Shane Warne and Anil Kumble as the fourth spinner in the 500 Club, while he becomes the third Australian – after Warne and Glenn McGrath – to hit the number.

Ravichandran Ashwin, his fellow off-spinner, is 11 behind him and will have his sights set on joining Lyon when India face England over five Tests in the new year. He congratulated his rival on Twitter.

After Ashwin, the next-nearest active player is Tim Southee, who has taken 374 Test wickets, followed by Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult as the only other current players with more than 300 victims in the Test arena.

"It's something I'm pretty proud about," said Lyon.

"For a young kid growing up in the country in New South Wales, 500 wickets is a long way away. A lot of hard work, but something I'm very, very proud of.

^{Lyon celebrates with his teammates after an unsuccessful lbw appeal was overturned on review (Colin Murty/AFP via Getty Images)}

"I was pretty confident about the review, everyone said the height was okay, it was just whether or not it was sliding down leg. Thankfully, it was three reds.

"It doesn't matter where we are, 500 wickets is pretty amazing. To do it here and contribute to an impressive team win makes it a lot better."

In all likelihood, he would have reached the landmark during the summer Ashes series, only for a significant calf injury to end his involvement in Australia's win at Lord's.

His captain, Pat Cummins, added: "It's huge, 500 Test wickets, all over the world, over a decade, in all conditions.

"He's been waiting for that one for six months with his calf injury and he has just bowled as well as he ever has."

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