3 minute read
Nathan Lyon has finally taken his 400th Test wicket, becoming only the third Australian bowler to achieve the feat.
Teammates will have to find some new material for Nathan Lyon after the offspinner finally took his 400th Test scalp, almost 12 months after his last and nearly two years after entering the nervous 390s.
The tweaker was stuck on 399 wickets after his 100th Test proved unforgettable for all the wrong reasons, with India storming to a series victory in Brisbane in January.
A postponed Test tour of South Africa meant Australia were forced to wait almost 11 months for a chance to don the baggy green again.
He went 33 overs in Brisbane this week before the breakthrough, Lyon finishing with 4-91 as the hosts sprinted to a nine-wicket win.
The milestone is no joke, Lyon now joining Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563) as the only Australians in the 400 club.
But his frustrating wait, 704 days since taking his 390th scalp - almost twice as long as the next in Richard Hadlee (427) - provided plenty of dressing room material.
"I''ve got a lot of my best mates in that change room and they tend to remind me, ask me if I'm going to have 400 on the shoes like Pidge (McGrath) or run around like Warnie," Lyon said.
"So there's been a lot of banter going on so it was probably on my mind more because of that."
The 34-year-old has charted a remarkable path to the top of world cricket, famously working as a curator in Adelaide when given a chance to shine in Australia's domestic Twenty20 competition at the start of 2011.
Later that year, Lyon made his Test debut in Sri Lanka and took the wicket of Kumar Sangakkara with his first delivery.
"It hasn't really hit me yet to be honest ... it's been some hard toil to get it to get it but it's very, very rewarding," Lyon said.
Lyon's 400th wicket was Dawid Malan, caught at silly point by Marnus Labuschagne.
It's a fielding position Lyon has been reluctant to employ throughout his 101-Test career.
He said having that man under the batter's nose was about playing some "mind games" while new captain Pat Cummins hinted there could be more of it.
"Being so far ahead of the game, you want to be positive, have plenty of options to take wickets," he said.
"Moving fielders around, it gives something different visually for the batters to look at."
AUSTRALIA'S ALL-TIME LEADING TEST WICKET-TAKERS:
* Shane Warne (708)
* Glenn McGrath (563)
* Nathan Lyon (401, ongoing)
* Dennis Lillee (355)
* Mitchell Johnson (313)
