Nathan Lyon surpasses Ravichandran Ashwin for subcontinent bowling record

Nathan Lyon, the lynchpin of Australia’s record-breaking win by an innings and 242 runs against Sri Lanka in the first Test of the two-match series on February 1 (Saturday), broke his nemesis off-spinner from India, Ravichandran Ashwin’s long-held record. 

Lyon, who picked up four wickets in the second innings and three in the first innings of Sri Lankan batting, raced past Ashwin as the leading overseas wicket-taker in Tests played against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

While Ashwin took 38 wickets in 12 innings of just six matches in Sri Lanka, with the last of them coming as far back as 2017, Lyon now has 42 to his name in 17 innings of nine matches. He was tied at 38 with Ashwin at the end of the first innings where Sri Lanka were bowled out for 165 in front of a mammoth Australian total of 654. 

In the second innings, the 37-year-old picked four more to get to the milestone and bowl the home team out for 247. Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal, another off-spinner too had 38 wickets in Tests in Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka. 

While Ashwin retired from international cricket in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which India lost, Lyon continues to play an important role in the Australian set-up. He is now the leading wicket-taker in World Test Championship (WTC) history with 203 scalps to his name.