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From Sangakkara To Chandimal! Nathan Lyon Comes Full Circle At Galle With 550th Test Wicket

Jatin

Nathan Lyon completed 550 Test wickets at the same venue where it all began [Source: @ICC, @CricUpdate58494/x.com]Nathan Lyon completed 550 Test wickets at the same venue where it all began [Source: @ICC, @CricUpdate58494/x.com]

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Some stories feel like they are written by cricket gods themselves, and Nathan Lyon’s journey is exactly that. The Aussie off-spinner, known as the GOAT by his teammates, grabbed his 550th Test wicket during the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Nathan Lyon’s 550th Test Wicket Comes Full Circle At Galle

And guess where it happened? The Galle International Stadium: the very ground where it all started for him in 2011.

Back then, a young Nathan Lyon, nervous but full of belief, took his first Test wicket with his very first ball, dismissing the great Kumar Sangakkara.

Coming to the present, and Lyon’s still out there doing what he does best—taking wickets for fun. This time, it was Dinesh Chandimal who became his 550th scalp, caught at mid-off by Beau Webster. Talk about coming full circle!


Nathan Lyon Joins the Elite Club

With this wicket, Lyon became the third Aussie to reach the 550-wicket milestone. He now sits in an exclusive club alongside legends like Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563).

Globally, only seven bowlers have taken more Test wickets than him—Murali (800), Warne, Anderson (704), Kumble (619), Broad (604), and McGrath. Not bad for a guy who started out as a groundsman.

Lyon’s secret is his hard work, smart bowling, and an unbreakable will to fight. He’s been Australia’s top spinner for more than a decade, always stepping up when the team needs him most.

Nathan Lyon: King of Asia

Asian pitches aren’t friendly to foreign bowlers, but Lyon? He’s cracked the code. Earlier in the game, he became the first non-Asian bowler to pick up 150 Test wickets in Asia. 

He’s done it with patience, bamboozling batters in conditions where many Aussie bowlers have struggled. His record here? 11 four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul. For comparison, Shane Warne had 127 wickets in Asia—Lyon’s now way past that.

At 37, Lyon’s showing no signs of slowing down. His 24 five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket match hauls prove that he’s still at the top of his game. And with the way he’s going, 600 wickets isn’t out of reach.