From Garry to Greatness: Nathan Lyon surpasses McGrath in Adelaide, spins himself into Ashes history

Nathan Lyon etched his name deeper into cricket history on Thursday as the evergreen off-spinner surpassed Glenn McGrath on the all-time Test wickets list, delivering a decisive blow to England on the second day of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.

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Lyon claimed his 564th Test wicket when he bowled Ben Duckett with a drifting off-break, moving clear of fellow Australian great McGrath and into outright sixth place among Test cricket’s leading wicket-takers. The milestone came in Lyon’s 141st Test and capped a sensational opening spell that underlined his enduring value to Australia at the age of 38.




Introduced in the 10th over with England cruising at 37 without loss, Lyon struck twice in four balls to turn the contest sharply Australia’s way. First, Ollie Pope pushed forward to a turning delivery and offered a sharp catch to Josh Inglis at midwicket. That dismissal brought Lyon level with McGrath’s career haul of 563 wickets. Moments later, Duckett misread the flight and line, and Lyon’s delivery clipped off stump to spark celebrations around Adelaide Oval — and playful mock outrage from McGrath, watching on from the commentary box.



England slumped to 42 for three and reached lunch at 59 for three, suddenly under pressure in a must-win Test to keep the Ashes alive. Earlier, captain Pat Cummins had broken the opening stand by removing Zak Crawley, triggering the collapse that Lyon so emphatically accelerated.

Only Shane Warne, with 708 wickets, now sits above Lyon on Australia’s all-time list. Ahead globally, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Warne, and England’s Jimmy Anderson (704) remain the benchmark figures, while Stuart Broad (604) and Anil Kumble (619) are next in Lyon’s sights.

Australia were earlier bowled out for 371 after resuming at 326 for eight, with Jofra Archer completing a five-wicket haul. Mitchell Starc struck a rapid 54 before becoming Archer’s fifth victim.

Affectionately known as “Garry,” Lyon made his Test debut in 2011 and owns best figures of 8 for 50. Having stepped away from international white-ball cricket in 2019, he recently said he feels in some of the best form of his career — and Thursday’s spell was compelling proof that his remarkable journey is far from over.