Australia spinner Nathan Lyon achieved a rare feat in Test cricket on Saturday during the 1st Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. On Day 4, Lyon dismissed Dinesh Chandimal twice in the same session.
Nathan Lyon Surpasses Ashwin to Become Highest Overseas Wicket-Taker in Sri Lanka
At 10:13 AM, Nathan Lyon got Chandimal out LBW, and after Australia enforced the follow-on, he dismissed him again at 12:03 PM. Sri Lanka, replying to Australia’s 654/6 declared, was bowled out for 165, with Chandimal scoring 72 runs. Australia won the match by an innings and 242 runs.
Nathan Lyon is now only the sixth bowler in history to dismiss a batter twice in the same session. Before him, Alec Bedser (Wazir Mohammad, 1954), Keith Boyce (Alan Knott, 1973), Irfan Pathan (Mohammad Rafique, 2006), Graeme Swann (Salman Butt, 2010), and Prabath Jayasuriya (Lorcan Tucker, 2023) had also achieved this feat.
Additionally, Lyon became the highest overseas wicket-taker in Sri Lanka, surpassing India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, who had taken 38 wickets in the country.
Top 5 highest wicket-takers in Sri Lanka (overseas)
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Nathan Lyon (Australia) – 42*
Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – 38
Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan) – 38
Shane Warne (Australia) – 37
Yasir Shah (Pakistan) – 33
Australia Takes 1-0 Lead in Two-Match Serie
Sri Lanka faced their heaviest-ever defeat in Test cricket, losing the first Test in Galle. Following on Day 4, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 247 runs. For Australia, it marked their fourth-largest Test victory.
Before this loss, Sri Lanka’s biggest defeat came in Nagpur in 2017 when they were beaten by India by an innings and 239 runs. Australia had declared their innings at 654/6 on the second day, thanks to a career-best 232 from opener Usman Khawaja.
Australia now leads 1-0 in the two-match series. The second and final Test will also be held in Galle next week, followed by a two-match ODI series in Colombo.
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