The three-match Test series between Australia and Pakistan is set to get underway on Thursday (December 14) in Perth. This will also mark the start of the farewell Test series for David Warner. All the focus will be on the left-hander in this series but off-spinner Nathan Lyon will be quietly eyeing a massive career milestone in Perth as well.
He has so far picked 496 wickets in Test cricket in 122 matches and is certainly to go past the 500-wicket milestone during the Test series if not in Perth. It has been long pending for Lyon as he got ruled out of the Ashes midway through the series due to injury. But he is fit now and will be raring to go with the red-ball against Pakistan. If he breaches the 500-mark, Lyon will become only the 8th bowler in Test cricket history and fourth spinner to do so.
Muttiah Muralitharan is on top in this aspect with a massive 800 scalps in the longest format of the game followed by Shane Warne with 708 wickets. Another Australian in this list is Glenn McGrath who ended his Test career with 563 wickets in the whites. Among spinners, the last played to cross the 500-wicket mark was Anil Kumble who finished his Test career with 619 wickets in 132 matches.
Most wickets in Test cricket
| Players |
Wickets |
| Muttiah Muralitharan |
800 |
| Shane Warne |
708 |
| James Anderson |
690 |
| Anil Kumble |
619 |
| Stuart Broad |
604 |
| Glenn McGrath |
563 |
| Courtney Walsh |
519 |
| Nathan Lyon |
496 |
| Ravi Ashwin |
489 |
| Dale Steyn |
439 |
As far as the first Test between Pakistan and Australia is concerned, both teams have announced their playing XIs a day before the match. The hosts have no surprises in their playing XI but Travis Head has been named the vice-captain alongside Steve Smith. The visitors, meanwhile, have handed out debuts to fast bowlers Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal while they haven't named any specialist spinner in their squad.
Playing XIs:
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK), Agha Salman, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon
