Australian spinner Nathan Lyon joins illustrious group 24 hours after ‘huge miss’

Nathan Lyon’s long wait for Test wicket No. 400 came to an end on Saturday, but the moment should have happened 24 hours earlier.

Nathan Lyon was stranded on 399 Test wickets for 326 days before finally unearthing the long-awaited breakthrough on Saturday morning, becoming just the third Australian to take 400 scalps in the game’s longest format.

Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath are the only other Aussies to reach the milestone — but some pundits add Dennis Lillee to that illustrious group because of his World Series Cricket feats, which are not included in the official records.

However, the Australian off-spinner had missed an opportunity to secure that coveted 400th scalp 24 hours earlier.

Catch every moment of The Ashes live and ad-break free during play on Kayo. Join now for just $5 for 2-months Kayo Basic. New customers only, ends 13th Dec.

On day three of the Gabba Test, England captain Joe Root and No. 3 batter Dawid Malan combined for a century stand to resurrect the contest in Brisbane.

The pair survived 49 overs at the crease on Friday — but their partnership should have ended in the 40th over of England’s second innings.

Malan charged down the wicket at a Lyon delivery, which struck him on the front pad and ballooned back towards the bowler.

Lyon claimed the catch and turned around for a muffled appeal before returning to his mark and resuming the over.

But replays showed that the Kookaburra had also ricocheted off Malan’s glove — if Australian skipper Pat Cummins had called for the review, Malan would have been back in the sheds for 37.

“I think I might have got away with one,” Malan sheepishly told ABC Grandstand. “I think I gloved one straight to him, so that could’ve been his 400th wicket.”

ASHES LIVE BLOG: Gabba Test day four coverage

Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon. Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP

Australian great Shane Warne said on Fox Cricket: “Malan, you look at his body language and he covered it nicely.

“We have to look at it a bit more and have a look at it side-on. It is pretty obvious.

“You have got to ride a bit of luck, and England deserved a bit of luck. But he was only on 37 at the time, so that was a huge miss from the Aussies.”

Speaking to Fox Cricket on Saturday morning, Lyon confessed a teammate had asked whether he wanted to call on the DRS technology.

“It was only Josh Hazlewood at mid-on that asked do you want to go upstairs, but I thought the guys square of the wicket might have seen something different,” he explained.

“It is pretty hard, especially front on if it just nicks the glove.

“But that’s the way cricket guys, and you have to make your own luck sometimes.”

But Lyon eventually got his man the following morning, removing Malan in the fourth over of day four.

Similar to Friday’s non-dismissal, Malan skipped down the pitch and looked to play the off-spinner through mid-wicket, only for an inside edge to balloon off his front pad towards Marnus Labuschagne at silly mid-off.

THERE IT IS‼️
Number 400 for Nathan Lyon 👏👏#Ashespic.twitter.com/Cs0HJ8hB9G

— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 10, 2021

Nathan Lyon of Australia celebrates dismissing Dawid Malan. Photo by Albert Perez – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Longest wait between 399 and 400 Test wickets

4 days — James Anderson

7 days — Dale Steyn

76 days — Stuart Broad

326 days — Nathan Lyon

“It’s a magnificent milestone, a magnificent achievement,” former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said on Channel 7’s commentary.

“You can see the seam coming out of his hand perfectly. The revs and the rotations on the ball were high. I think that’s why he’s had such great success. His release has always been really pure.”

England cricket legend Ian Botham continued: “The thing I like about it most, it’s like a rags to riches. I can remember him sweeping the oval, preparing the wicket. Now look at him. 400 wickets, magnificent effort. For a finger spinner, off-break bowler — very special.”

The Aussies mobbed Lyon after umpire Paul Reiffel raised the dreaded finger, confirming his 400th Test wicket — it was a moment 7818 hours in the making.