Nathan Lyon Surpasses Glenn McGrath as Australia's Second-Highest Wicket-Taker

Lyon's Historic Achievement in the Ashes

Adelaide [Australia], December 18: Nathan Lyon, the renowned Australian spinner, has officially surpassed Glenn McGrath to become the second-highest wicket-taker for Australia in Test cricket history.

This milestone was reached during the third Ashes Test against England at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

In the 10th over of England's first innings, shortly after Pat Cummins claimed the first wicket, Lyon made his mark by dismissing Ollie Pope for just three runs off ten balls, followed by a crucial wicket of Ben Duckett, who had started promisingly.

With 564 wickets from 141 Tests at an average of 30.09, Lyon's best figures stand at 8/50, complemented by 26 four-wicket hauls, 24 five-wicket hauls, and five ten-wicket hauls. In comparison, McGrath finished his career with 562 wickets from 124 Tests at an impressive average of 21.64, with best figures of 8/24.

Leading the charts is the legendary Shane Warne, who took 708 wickets in 145 Tests at an average of 25.41, boasting best figures of 8/71, along with 48 four-wicket hauls, 37 five-wicket hauls, and 10 ten-wicket hauls.

Lyon's achievement also places him as the sixth-highest wicket-taker in international cricket.

In a light-hearted moment, McGrath, who was commentating, humorously reacted to Lyon breaking his record by pretending to throw a chair.

Glenn McGrath's reaction to Nathan Lyon passing him on the all-time Test wickets list was absolutely hilarious #Ashes pic.twitter.com/1jTM06M8me

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2025

By the end of the session, England found themselves at 59/3, with Joe Root (11*) and Harry Brook (6*) remaining at the crease, trailing by 312 runs.

Australia resumed day two at 326/8, with Nathan Lyon (0) and Mitchell Starc (33*) at the crease.

Starc began the day strongly, hitting two boundaries off Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, and reached his second fifty of the series in just 73 balls, featuring eight fours.

However, the momentum shifted when Jofra Archer dismissed Nathan Lyon for 9 runs off 35 balls, leading to Australia being bowled out for 371 in 91.2 overs.

Archer was the standout performer for England, taking 5 wickets for 53 runs, while Brydon Carse and Will Jacks contributed with two wickets each.

England's innings began aggressively, with Duckett hitting four boundaries in the first four overs against Starc and Cummins.

Yet, England's fortunes changed when Zak Crawley (9 runs off 19 balls) was caught by Alex Carey, giving Cummins another wicket. England was at 37/1 in 7.4 overs.

Lyon struck twice in the ninth over, dismissing Ollie Pope for 3 runs and then cleaning up Duckett for 29 runs off 30 balls, leaving England in a precarious position at 42/3 after 10 overs.

Lyon's achievement of surpassing McGrath solidifies his status as Australia's second-highest Test wicket-taker, trailing only behind Shane Warne.

England managed to reach their 50-run mark in 12.4 overs, with Joe Root and Harry Brook ensuring no further losses for the remainder of the session.

Earlier, Australia concluded day one at 326/8, with Alex Carey scoring his first Ashes century (106 runs off 143 balls) and Usman Khawaja contributing a solid 82 runs off 126 balls.

Brief Scores: Australia: 371 (Alex Carey 106, Usman Khawaja 82, Jofra Archer: 5/53) vs England: 59/3 (Ben Duckett 29, Joe Root 11*, Nathan Lyon 2/14).