In the all-time Test wicket rankings, Australian spinner Nathan Lyon made history on Monday by overtaking India’s Ravichandran Ashwin.
On Monday, Australian spinner Nathan Lyon surpassed India’s Ravichandran Ashwin in the all-time Test wicket rankings, creating history.
Lyon’s superb performance in the fourth Test match against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where Australia won by a commanding 184 runs, helped him to reach this milestone.
With figures of 3 for 96 in the first innings and 2 for 37 in the second, the 37-year-old bowler was instrumental in Australia’s victory. Lyon trapped Mohammed Siraj LBW for a duck in the 80th over of India’s second innings, giving the Pat Cummins-led Australian team the victory and his most significant wicket, surpassing Ravichandran Ashwin’s 537-wicket total.
With this wicket, Lyon surpassed Ashwin’s record of 537 Test wickets, bringing his career total to 538. Ashwin finished his career with 537 wickets in 106 games before retiring on December 18, 2024.
Lyon is now ranked seventh on the all-time Test wicket-taking list with 538 wickets in 133 games. Lyon has more wickets than only six bowlers.
Most Wickets in Test Cricket:
Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) – 800
Shane Warne (Australia) – 708
James Anderson (England) – 704
Anil Kumble (India) – 619
Stuart Broad (England) – 604
Glenn McGrath (Australia) – 563
Nathan Lyon (Australia) – 538
Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – 537
Courtney Walsh (West Indies) – 519
Along with this accomplishment, Lyon tied Ashwin for the most wickets in the history of the World Test Championship (WTC). Together with Australian skipper Pat Cummins, both players have now claimed 195 wickets in WTC competitions. Lyon accomplished this feat in 47 games, Ashwin in 41, and Cummins in 46.
Top WTC Wicket-Takers:
Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – 195
Nathan Lyon (Australia) – 195
Pat Cummins (Australia) – 195
Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 162
Jasprit Bumrah (India) – 154
Lyon and Cummins have an opportunity to overtake Ashwin and become the highest wicket-takers in WTC history when the fifth Test match against India starts on January 3, 2025, at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
