Nathan Lyon spins himself into the record books and much more in Chittangong

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  • Nathan Lyon is now the highest Test wicket-taker in 2017.

    Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon worked his way into the record books when he became only the ninth player in Test cricket history to pick up six wickets or more in three consecutive innings.

    The New South Wales man ripped into the Bangladesh batting-order claiming seven wickets in the second innings of the Chittagong Test as Australia chased down the paltry target of 86 runs with considerable ease to level the two-match series 1-1.

    Lyon had picked up seven wickets in the first innings to restrict the hosts to only 305 and his consistent attacking lengths on Thursday bought him further reward on an alarmingly deteriorating pitch.

    For large periods of his career, the 29-year-old spinner’s role in the Aussie team has been described as that of a ‘workhorse’. He has been seen as the necessary evil to tie-up one end for the team while the pacers took the centre stage as the main wicket-taking threat.

    The off-spinner has indeed come a long way from his days as a member of the ground staff at the Adelaide Oval to emerge as the indisputable leader of Australia’s spin attack and a potent threat on any wicket.

    It’s a far cry from his South Australia Grade Cricket League days where he used to double up as a member of the ground staff at the Adelaide Oval.

    The Aussie spinner’s introduction to the five-day format in 2011 was the stuff dreams are made of when he dismissed Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara with his very first delivery in Test cricket, making him only the third player from his country to do so.

    That was not the only landmark achieved by Lyon in his first match as he finished with returns of 5-34 in the first innings to become the 131st player in history to claim a five-wicket haul in his maiden Test.

    Lyon has emerged as Australia's indisputable leader of the spin-attack.

    Lyon has emerged as Australia’s indisputable leader of the spin-attack.

    It has been six years since Lyon’s debut but the words world-class were seldom associated with the orthodox off-spinner ever since. The man who has been playfully given the title of the ‘Greatest of all time’ or ’GOAT’ after he overtook Hugh Trumble to hold the record for the most wickets by an Aussie off-spinner, has had a dream 2017 to make everyone sit up and take notice.

    His 6-60 in the second innings of the Chittagong victory has taken his wicket tally in the current year to 46, the highest among any bowler in the world.

    For the record, India’s spin twins of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have taken 44 wickets each in the same time-frame. The spin duo currently occupy third and top spot in the ICC Test bowler rankings while Lyon features at number 17.

    One can expect that to change drastically in the near future as the Australian spinner finally gets the plaudits he deserves. The off-spinner finished with 22 wickets in the two-match series with a best of 7-94, acting as the main catalyst of the comeback from Steve Smith’s men after the hosts had won their first-ever Test against Australia in Dhaka.

    That Bangladesh’s front-line spinner Shakib al Hasan finished with 12 wickets in the series is a testament to Lyon’s prowess in the tour. He has single-handedly carried Australia’s spin-attack to victory over a Bangladesh team on the up, especially at home, in their own backyard.

    Lyon’s 10 wicket-haul in Chittagong now makes him the only Aussie off-spinner to have breached that landmark twice in his career.

    Often has the 29-year-old been derided for his performances in Australia’s past tours to the subcontinent but this time Lyon has engraved himself as a world-class spinner, the clear leader of Australia’s attack and now a proven match-winner. This was the first time that he has picked up a 10 wicket-haul in a Test in Asia.

    It will be interesting to see the battle between him and Moeen Ali in the Ashes series to be played Down Under come the end of the year. With age still on his side, expect Lyon to add considerably to the 269 scalps he has claimed so far wearing the Baggy Greens.

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