Nathan Lyon names another Test record; no current cricketer even close to break – India TV

Nathan Lyon achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first non-Asian bowler to take 150 Test wickets in Asia. The veteran off-spinner reached this feat on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Galle International Cricket Stadium, claiming three wickets to seal his place in history.

Late great Shane Warne is second on the list with 127 wickets in Asia, followed by Daniel Vettori and James Anderson with 98 and 92 wickets, respectively. Meanwhile, Lyon named the milestone on his 30th match in the continent and interestingly, has an average of picking a wicket in every 30 balls.

Most wickets by non-Asian cricketers in Asia

Australia have upper hand after Day 1

In the first Test, Australia won the toss and took advantage of the wicket to post a massive total on board. Traditionally, the surface in Galle heavily supports the spinners, but it usually helps the batting team on Day 1. The visitors took advantage of that in the first game, but Sri Lanka couldn’t capitalise in the second Test, resulting in them posting 229/9.

Opener Pathum Nissanka flopped, scoring 11 runs. Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal, however, did well, stitching a partnership of 70 runs. Chandimal went on to score 74 runs but the middle order struggled as the hosts were reduced to 150/6. Kusal and Ramesh Mendis tried to control the damage as they showed pedigree but the latter eventually departed, scoring 28 runs off 94 deliveries.

Mendis played an unbeaten knock of 59 runs and will be hoping to keep up with the momentum and add a few more runs on Day 2. For Australia, Mitchell Starc once again had a stunning outing as the left-arm seamer clinched three wickets. Matthew Kuhnemann claimed two wickets while Travis Head dismissed Kamindu Mendis.