Nathan Lyon on the verge of history with 500th test wicket

Nathan Lyon is closing in on uncharted territory with only Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath having claimed 500 test wickets for Australia.

Australia's Nathan Lyon celebrates after taking the wicket of Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq in Perth on December 16. Picture: AFP

Nathan Lyon is set to take his 500th wicket sometime late Sunday in a Perth Test match that has provided plenty for the purists.

Australia finished on 2-84, with Usman Khawaja 34no and Steve Smith 43no and in position to further extend their lead of 300 on the fourth day.

On a day talk emerged from India of another IPL window into the bloated-to-bursting cricket calendar, Australia’s old school Test bowling attack reminded everybody why the original is still the best.

And Pakistan’s posed some challenges of it own.

On the same day some questioned people questioned Alex Carey’s state of mind, the Australian keeper crafted two sweet stumpings.

It was also the day it seemed certain Lyon would take that milestone wicket injury denied him of in the Ashes, but the game insisted we wait a while more.

The spinner was stranded on 499 when the last wicket fell and that particular narrative is, like his increasingly impressive career, To Be Continued.

Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563) are the only Australians to have more, but if the low flying off spinner has his way and plays until the next away Ashes things could change. He is 17 shy of passing Courtney Walsh (519).

The air was charged and the cricket crackled on a strangely humid day out there on the Western edge of the continent.

Marnus Labuschagne (0) took a blow to his finger that was being checked over night and Steve Smith one on his arm that also required some attention.

The Australian quicks and their spinning mate Lyon (3-66) reinforced their reputation as the best bowling attack in the world, against a Pakistan top order that has the talent, if not the experience.

Quirky as cricket is, this was the weekend that saw Mitchell Starc, a man apparently in control of his craft and at the peak of his powers, put in a bowling spell with the second new ball that, though brief, may rate among the worst of his career.

David Warner, fresh a 164 in the first innings, holed out for a hole, knocked over for a duck by Khurram Shahzad, who then went on to smash one into Labuschagne’s glove and then had him in a method similar to Warner.

Australia was reduced to 2-5 in the eighth over and the visitors had a chance of limiting the third innings ask to something a little more manageable than previously imagined.

There’s nothing more exhilarating than fast bowling on a pitch baked so hard balls flew regularly over the head of bowlers – and reaching keepers – and then backed a bit more so that cracks appeared in the crust.

Lyon got a stumping from one that looked to have flown from a crack and the wicket is showing signs of becoming increasingly difficult for batters.

Pakistan made the drive from hotel to the Perth Stadium sitting on 2-132. Imam-ul-Huq, nephew of the great Inzimam at the crease with nightwatchman, Khurram Shazad, who should have been run out by Travis Head first delivery he faced, but was bowled by Cummins two balls later.

Enter Babar Azam, a man whose name sounds like the chorus of a Beach Boys’ song, and one who is as harmonious at the crease as that outfit was on record. He’s a chirpy bloke and the Australians seemed unusually fond of him when they toured his home country in 2022, but his clash with Cummins was compelling.

Two great players at the top of their game squared off. Cummins was bowling heat, but the Pakistan player was up to the challenge. He couldn’t score from the first 12 deliveries from the Australian and was unmercifully beaten by the 13th, but then asserted himself with a gorgeous cover drive for four.

In the next Cummins hurried him and he almost chopped one onto the stumps, the following delivery he was rapped on the pads and the one after that steepled high over his head and Carey’s for five byes.

He survived the spell and those of Starc (2-68), Lyon and Hazlewood only to be caught behind by home town hero Mitch Marsh for 21.

Imam, who scored two centuries against Australia in Rawalpindi, brought up his third half century before Lyon got one to jump, turn and beat the charging batsman. Carey completed the stumping wand the batsman was on his way for 62.

The pair combined to remove Aamer Jamal (10) in a similar manner and give the spinner his 499th but the 500th would not come.

Cummins 2-35 from 20 overs was a master class in bowling and the kind of quality we’ve come to expect from the captain.

When Travis Head was brought on the cusp of tea you just knew he was going to get the last wicket and deny Lyon his milestone.

And he did. Pakistan had been solid but were out for 271 – a first innings deficit of 216.