In a historic display of spin-bowling mastery, Nathan Lyon etched his name deeper into the annals of cricket history on December 18, 2025, during the second day of the third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval.
The veteran off-spinner, affectionately known as “Garry,” achieved a monumental milestone by taking two wickets in his very first over of the match, an explosive burst that saw him surpass the legendary Glenn McGrath to become Australia’s second-highest Test wicket-taker of all time.
Only the late, great Shane Warne, who sits at the pinnacle with 708 wickets, now stands ahead of Lyon on the national leaderboard.
Introduced in the 10th over with England sitting relatively comfortably at 37 without loss, Lyon made an immediate and devastating impact. With his third delivery, he enticed Ollie Pope into a tentative prod; the ball gripped and turned just enough to take the edge, flying into the safe hands of a diving Josh Inglis at midwicket.
This dismissal brought Lyon to 563 wickets, drawing him level with McGrath’s career tally. Just three balls later, the milestone was his alone. Lyon produced a classic, drifting delivery that bamboozled Ben Duckett, sliding through the gap to shatter the off-stump.
In the span of a single, six-ball over, Lyon had transformed England’s steady start into a collapse and moved his career total to 564 wickets, securing his status as the most prolific Australian finger-spinner and second-best bowler overall.
The achievement was laden with narrative significance, occurring at the very ground where Lyon once worked as a groundsman and curator before his meteoric rise to the national side.
Returning to Adelaide was particularly poignant after Lyon was controversially omitted from the playing XI for the second Test in Brisbane—a decision he later admitted left him feeling “absolutely filthy.” His triumphant return was a vivid reminder of his enduring value to the team, as he exploited the natural bounce and turn of the Adelaide surface to turn the tide of the series.
The moment also produced one of the most memorable images of the 2025 Ashes: as the cameras panned to the commentary box, Glenn McGrath himself was seen in a state of mock-furious theatricality, pretending to hurl a chair across the room in feigned annoyance at having his record broken.
This light-hearted “passing of the baton” underscored the immense respect between the two icons, with McGrath later praising Lyon’s longevity and skill. By surpassing a pace-bowling titan like McGrath, Lyon has challenged the traditional perception of Australian pitches being purely “fast-bowler friendly,” proving that his relentless accuracy and over-spin can be just as lethal as 145 kph thunderbolts.
Beyond the personal accolades, Lyon’s double-strike was the catalyst for an English batting slide that saw them lose three wickets for just 15 runs.
While Australia had earlier been bowled out for 371—thanks to a gritty 54 from Mitchell Starc and a five-wicket haul from Jofra Archer—Lyon’s intervention ensured the visitors could not capitalise on the momentum. As he continues his journey toward the 600-wicket club,
Lyon now finds himself in the company of only a handful of global legends, including Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708), and Anil Kumble (619). At 38 years old, Lyon’s fitness and hunger appear undiminished, leading many to wonder if he might eventually challenge the 700-wicket mark.
For now, however, the Adelaide Oval belongs to the man who once mowed its grass and now owns its history, standing tall as the undisputed king of Australian off-spin and the second-most successful bowler in the nation’s storied cricketing heritage.
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